Thyssengas buys RWE's gas pipeline for hydrogen transport

German transmission system operator Thyssengas GmbH has acquired a natural gas pipeline from RWE Generation SE at the German-Dutch border which is expected to play a central role in the development of a cross-border hydrogen transport infrastructure.

The 12-km (7.45 mi) section runs between Vlieghuis in the Dutch province of Drenthe and Kalle in the Grafschaft Bentheim district of Lower Saxony. The conversion of the pipeline is aimed at establishing a connection to the Vlieghuis import point as part of the GET H2 hydrogen initiative.

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Thyssengas aims to enable the transport of hydrogen from the Dutch border to Duisburg, western Germany, in 2027. The connection will provide access to the import ports of Amsterdam, Eemshaven and Rotterdam and the province of Zeeland as well as the storage facilities and planned hydrogen production plants in this region.

Preparatory work for the conversion of the gas pipeline will begin in the middle of 2023.

Together with other hydrogen projects, the Thyssengas project lays the foundation for the development of a cross-border hydrogen infrastructure. From the town of Lingen in Germany's north to the Ruhr area and from the Dutch border to Salzgitter, the production, transport, storage and industrial use of green hydrogen are to be linked in several steps between 2024 and 2027 as part of the GET H2 project.

As a first step in the GET H2 initiative, partners bp (LON:BP), Evonik Industries AG (ETR:EVK), Nowega, OGE and RWE Generation plan to connect the production of green hydrogen with industrial customers in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The next step will be to connect the Netherlands and Germany through the Vlieghuis-Kalle line.

The hydrogen will then reach the Ruhr area via the existing network of gas network operators OGE and Nowega and the new hydrogen pipeline to be built from the town of Dorsten in North Rhine-Westphalia to Duisburg. The new pipeline will be built by OGE and Thyssengas with completion planned for 2026.