Nowega is set to commission a 55km hydrogen pipeline network which will form part of Germany’s 9,000km hydrogen core network (HCN).
At its Nordhorn site in Lower Saxony, Nowega has begun filling a section of the pipeline between Lingen and Bad Bentheim, starting with 28,500 cubic metres of hydrogen reportedly at 3 bar — an amount H2 View estimates to exceed 7.5 tonnes. The relatively low pressure suggests this is part of the initial filling or purging phase, likely intended to test for leaks and prepare the pipeline for full operation.
With 95% of the pipeline built on repurposed infrastructure, the initial section is set to extend south in late 2025, with a new link planned between Bentheim and Legden.
The first subscriber of the Nowega hydrogen network will be the 300MW electrolyser project owned by RWE in Lingen, which is scheduled to begin producing hydrogen this year.
Earlier this month, TotalEnergies secured a 15-year supply from RWE’s plant, which will be delivered via the HCN to the French major’s Leuna refinery in Saxony-Anhalt to decarbonise its grey hydrogen operations.
Frank Doods, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Building and Digitisation of the State of Niedersachsen, labelled the start of construction a milestone.
“A sustainable hydrogen economy will only succeed if we convert and build the necessary pipelines locally with a view to the HCN,” he said.
Nowega Managing Director Frank Heunemann added that leveraging existing infrastructure proves the pipeline network can be expanded both cost-effectively and at speed.
Last week, the German Government made its first loan payment for the construction of the HCN, and it set a €25/kWh/h annual rate for operators looking to use the network.
On March 13, Gascade started filling the first section of its 20GW input pipeline project with hydrogen. In total, project Flow will cover 1,630km of the HCN, with Gascade repurposing a 1.4-metre-diametre former natural gas pipeline.
Germany’s 9,000km hydrogen gamble: Will the Wasserstoff-Kernnetz pay off?
“We are creating security for everyone involved – from hydrogen producers at home and abroad to the operators of power plants and storage facilities and future industrial users.”
That was the message from German Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, when his government’s plans for a 9,040km ‘Wasserstoff-Kernnetz’ or hydrogen core network (HCN) were approved by the Federal Network Agency (BNetZA).
The HCN will cover the width of the country, resulting in a feed-in capacity of 101GW of hydrogen and a feed-out capacity of 87GW. Expected to complement the nation’s ambitious hydrogen production and import strategy, the network will connect import terminals to industrial hubs located throughout the country.
It’s a mammoth ambition.
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