Hy­dro­gen core net­work

• Application
• Draft application from 2023

The first step in developing a hydrogen infrastructure is planning and setting up a hydrogen core network.

The hydrogen core network is to connect what are expected to be Germany's major hydrogen consumption and generation regions – central locations such as large industrial centres, storage facilities, power plants and import corridors – with each other. The hydrogen core network is to comprise key hydrogen infrastructure to be put into operation by 2032.

Under the revised Energy Industry Act (EnWG) (link to German website) the gas transmission system operators must submit an application with measures to set up the hydrogen core network to the Bundesnetzagentur for approval. If the legal requirements are met, the Bundesnetzagentur must give its approval for the network within two months of receiving the full application. 

Legal basis: section 28q(8) sentences 1 and 2 EnWG

Following the entry into force of the revised EnWG at the end of 2023, the Bundesnetzagentur extended the deadline for the hydrogen core network application for an initial period of four months as provided for in the EnWG until 21 May 2024, as requested by the transmission system operators. Section 28r(10) and section 28s(6) EnWG state, however, that the required approval under State aid rules for the financing of the hydrogen core network must have been obtained from the European Commission at the latest one week before expiry of the deadline for the application; otherwise the Bundesnetzagentur must extend the deadline for one more month (at a time). The European Commission gave its approval under State aid rules on 21 June 2024. The Bundesnetzagentur had extended the deadline for the application again until 21 June and then until 22 July 2024 because the required approval had not been obtained one week before expiry of the deadlines.

Legal basis: section 28q(2) sentence 2 second half-sentence EnWG

Application

The transmission system operators submitted their application on 22 July 2024.

The application comprises measures for a total of 9,666 kilometres of pipelines; around 60% of these are existing natural gas pipelines that are to be converted to hydrogen. The total investment costs are expected to be €19.7bn.

Consultation on the application

The Bundesnetzagentur gave all stakeholders and the public the opportunity to comment on the application in accordance with section 28q(6) sentence 3 EnWG. The period for submitting comments was comparatively short because of the tight timescale under the EnWG and the fact that there was an opportunity for comment when the draft application was published.
Itwas possible to refer to comments already submitted for the consultation on the draft application.

The consultation ran until 6 August 2024. The Bundesnetzagentur will evaluate the comments received and take them into account when assessing the application. The comments received will be forwarded to the TSO and the BMWK

The comments received in response to the consultation on the draft application submitted in November 2023 have already been evaluated.

Draft application from 2023

On 12 July 2023 the transmission system operators published details of their plans and gave pipeline infrastructure operators the opportunity to comment. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) also gave the federal states, professional associations and other stakeholders the opportunity to comment (link to German press release).

The transmission system operators subsequently modelled the hydrogen core network and submitted a draft application to the Bundesnetzagentur on 15 November 2023. There was an opportunity to comment on the draft application until 8 January 2024. The transmission system operators took account of the pipeline registrations from third parties in their modelling and in the draft application.

The draft application comprised measures for a total of 9,721 kilometres of pipelines; the majority of these were existing natural gas pipelines that would be converted to hydrogen. The expected total investment costs were put at €19.7bn.

Consultation on the draft application

The Bundesnetzagentur gave all stakeholders and the public the opportunity to comment on the transmission system operators' draft application before the beginning of the official proceedings with a view to transparency and efficiency. The consultation period ran from 15 November 2023 until 8 January 2024. The aim was to prepare for the approval process for the hydrogen core network and ensure swift approval of the network following submission of the final application.