Offshore hydrogen production with the help of wind energy

Projects

With the program Flow – making hydrogen happen, and the projects AquaDuctus, Interconnector Bornholm–Lubmin, and UK-Germany Hydrogen Interconnector, GASCADE is driving forward the expansion of a high-performance hydrogen infrastructure in Germany and Europe. Our goal: An efficient, cross-border hydrogen transport system that intelligently connects energy production, industry, and climate protection.

Flow – making hydrogen happen

With the Flow – making hydrogen happen project, we are creating a high-performance transport system for hydrogen as early as 2025. With a capacity of up to 20 GW, we can transport the energy produced offshore and onshore in northern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to the south – in other words, to where it is needed.

The gradual expansion of the pipeline, which can be used in a non-discriminatory manner, will largely be achieved by converting existing infrastructure. The hydrogen pipeline will run through the eastern German states to Hesse and on to the industrial centres in Baden-Württemberg. In addition to distribution to domestic German customers, connections are planned to several neighbouring countries, including to the Czech and Polish network as well as to France and Austria.

In that way, we will strengthen not only Germany, but also Europe. Flow – making hydrogen happen will be a key component in building an integrated and competitive European hydrogen market.

The project was granted the status of Project of Common Interest (PCI) and is being developed together with the partners ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH and terranets bw GmbH.

Flow – making hydrogen happen

AquaDuctus

AquaDuctus, as an offshore pipeline for green hydrogen from the North Sea, is one of the most promising forward-looking projects.

The hydrogen, which will be produced directly offshore from renewable electricity via electrolysis, will be transported to the mainland via a pipeline. The pipeline is intended to transport up to 20 gigawatts of hydrogen from the North Sea. On the mainland, the quantities will flow into the downstream onshore hydrogen network for distribution in the domestic German and European hydrogen markets.

In stage one, AquaDuctus will connect the hydrogen wind farm SEN-1 over a length of around 200 km with the German coast and lead onshore over around 100 km to the German-Dutch border. In stage two, the pipeline will be extended by a further 200 km so that is connects with more remote hydrogen wind farm sites in zones 4/5 (EEZ). In addition, the project is to be connected with neighbouring offshore pipelines from Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Both stages could be completed as soon as 2030. AquaDuctus will thus form the nucleus of a new hydrogen network in the North Sea, which can make a major contribution to a European internal hydrogen market.

The project has been awarded both PCI and IPCEI status.

Hydrogen Infrastructure in the North Sea – AquaDuctus

Aquaductus

Interconnector Bornholm-Lubmin (IBL)

The planned 140-km-long cross-border pipeline from Bornholm in Denmark to Lubmin in Germany will connect the large-scale hydrogen production on Bornholm with large demand centres in Germany and Central Europe. The German-Danish cooperation project entails building the first hydrogen pipeline in the Baltic and an application for PCI (Project of Common Interest) status has been submitted to the EU. At the same time, it makes a significant contribution to the creation of an EU-wide hydrogen network that will enable hydrogen transport for a host of network users.

A link to the Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector is possible. The Interconnector Bornholm-Lubmin is scheduled to go into operation in 2029. The 42-inch pipeline is expected to be transport more than 4 GW by 2030 and, at the same time, enable additional capacity of up to 10 GW – a catalyst for developing further offshore wind energy in the region.

UK-Germany Hydrogen Interconnector

The UK-Germany Hydrogen Corridor is a large-scale offshore pipeline project that aims to connect the UK’s vast renewable energy potential with Germany and continental Europe. The objective is to deliver green and low carbon hydrogen produced in the UK to the German and EU hydrogen markets, thereby strengthening Europe’s energy resilience. The project will be jointly promoted by German transmission system operator GASCADE and Great Britain’s Gas National Transmission System (NTS) operator National Gas.

The UK-Germany Hydrogen Corridor project will consist of two offshore pipeline sections. The first section will start from the UK mainland over two routing options – from Scotland or from England – which will be investigated in the upcoming studies. The first section will be linked to the second section, GASCADE’S AquaDuctus pipeline project, which connects to the German mainland. By integration of AquaDuctus into the UK-Germany Hydrogen Corridor it will also be possible to receive hydrogen produced offshore from renewable power in the North Sea.

The UK-Germany Hydrogen Corridor will provide transport capacity for up to 20 gigawatts of hydrogen. It will operate on a bidirectional basis, offering enhanced flexibility and security of supply for both the Great Britain and EU hydrogen markets. It aligns strategically with European initiatives to build a robust hydrogen economy, accelerating the green energy transition and decarbonisation through the supply of green and low-carbon hydrogen, while also significantly enhancing UK and EU energy independence.

Both GASCADE and National Gas aim to pursue Project of Common Interest (PCI) or Project of Mutual Interest (PMI) status for the project, underscoring the strategic importance of this project within European energy policy frameworks. They also intend to incorporate the project into the European Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) 2026.

Pomeranian Green Hydrogen Cluster

Project description

The project aims to investigate the possibilities of green hydrogen production in the West Pomeranian region and a connection to the Polish and German hydrogen network.

Project partners

The project is being implemented in cooperation with GAZ-System, PNE AG, Sevivon (PNE Group) and GASCADE.

CEF RES co-financing

As part of the funding competition “Call for Preparatory Studies for Cross-border Renewable Energy Projects” (CEF RES), the project partners submitted an application for funding for feasibility studies entitled “Business Analysis of the cross-border Pomeranian Green Hydrogen Cluster”. On July 4, 2024, the project was awarded funding in the amount of 190,000 euros. The feasibility studies are supported and funded by the European Commission as part of the “Connecting Europe Facility - CEF” program.

GASCADE will receive 65,000 euros in funding on a pro rata basis, current status: 32,500 euros received.