Habeck: Hydrogen core network to cover 9700 kilometers
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck is planning 9700 kilometers of pipelines for the most important connections of a future German hydrogen network. The Green politician said this on Tuesday in Berlin at the presentation of the plans for the so-called hydrogen core network. Hydrogen is an important source of hope for the energy transition, which should help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in industry and other areas in the future.
Habeck compared the lines in the hydrogen core network to federal highways. In a further step, further connections would then have to be planned in the area, which would correspond to state, federal or district roads.
According to Habeck, the network will initially be planned oversized, with an output capacity of 270 terawatt hours. For the year 2030, a demand of 95 to 130 terawatt hours is currently expected. "That means we are planning for the future."
In the long term, he assumes that Germany will produce 30 to 50 percent of its hydrogen requirements itself, with the rest having to be imported. This would be done via pipelines or in the form of ammonia by ship. Habeck emphasized that this would make Germany less dependent on imports than is currently the case with oil, gas and hard coal, where almost 100 percent is imported.
The CEO of FNB Gas, Thomas Gößmann, put the investment costs for the core network at 19.8 billion euros. This sum is to be provided by the private sector. FNB Gas is the association of supra-regional gas transport companies in Germany.
The hydrogen core network, as outlined by Habeck, is expected to play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors by leveraging hydrogen's potential as an alternative energy source. To achieve this, the network needs to be expanded, with additional pipelines equivalent to state, federal, or district roads.
Germany's plans for hydrogen production include producing at least 30 to 50% of its required hydrogen domestically, aiming to reduce its dependence on hydrogen imports for energy, as currently seen with oil, gas, and hard coal.
Source: www.dpa.com
