energy transition - Hydrogen network will be funded with 180 million Euros
To drive the expansion of hydrogen networks in Saxony-Anhalt, the Federal Government and the State collectively invest 180 Million Euro. "The expansion of the hydrogen core network is of central importance for Saxony-Anhalt," explains Saxony-Anhalt's State Secretary Thomas Wünsch (SPD). The funding decisions were handed over to the transmission network operator Ontras and the infrastructure provider VNG. The Federal Government supports the expansion, according to the Energy Ministry in Magdeburg, with 126 Million Euro, and Saxony-Anhalt contributes 54 Million Euro.
Energy-intensive industries in focus
The economy in Saxony-Anhalt is characterized by energy-intensive industries such as the chemical industry, says State Secretary Wünsch. Hydrogen will be an important energy carrier in the future. However, the infrastructure must be developed gradually. With the hydrogen core network, large energy production and consumption regions with corresponding pipelines will be connected nationwide in the coming years.
Important projects
Important projects in Saxony-Anhalt, according to ministry information, include the construction of underground hydrogen storage facilities in Bad Lauchstädt and the construction of a hydrogen pipeline from Bad Lauchstädt via Magdeburg to Salzgitter in Lower Saxony. Additionally, existing natural gas pipelines are to be converted to hydrogen. This will develop a pipeline network from Leipzig via eastern Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Berlin to Rostock.
- In response to the energy-intensive industries in Saxony-Anhalt, particularly the chemical sector, the SPD's State Secretary Thomas Wünsch emphasizes the importance of hydrogen as a future energy carrier.
- The Company VNG, along with transmission network operator Ontras, will oversee the distribution of the 180 Million Euro funding for the expansion of hydrogen networks, with the Federal Government providing 126 Million Euro and Saxony-Anhalt contributing 54 Million Euro.
- Robert Habeck, the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, supports the 'energy transition' towards renewable energy sources, including the use of hydrogen, and encourages similar initiatives across Germany, such as in Magdeburg and Saxony-Anhalt.
- As part of the energy transition and the expansion of hydrogen networks, VNG, in collaboration with the SDP in Magdeburg, plans to convert existing natural gas pipelines in Saxony-Anhalt and surrounding regions to accommodate hydrogen, thereby strengthening the regional chemical industry's reliance on renewable energy.
