- MV forcing four pipelines for hydrogen core grid
The Schwerin Ministry of Economy has emphasized the importance of a balanced core network for MV following the provisional cancellation of an Ontras-operated hydrogen pipeline from Rostock via Glasewitz to Ketzin (Brandenburg). However, four hydrogen pipelines are necessary to ensure future value creation, crisis supply, and regional balance as required by law. NDR previously reported on the topic.
The ministry listed four pipelines: a north-south connection from Rostock via Pritzwalk to the south, a north-south connection from Lubmin to the south, an east-west connection between Rostock and the Lubmin/Wrangelsburg area, and an east-west connection from the Lübz area via Kraak to Hamburg. These four lines will create a future-proof supply network that fully utilizes the potential of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from the start.
Many involved in building the core network
The federally funded Ontras project "doing hydrogen" was originally intended to connect Rostock to the first hydrogen network. A pipeline connection from Rostock to Glasewitz to Ketzin was planned for this purpose, according to a company spokesperson. However, Rostock can also be effectively connected to the hydrogen core network without the Rostock-Glasewitz-Ketzin pipeline, for example, through an additional cross-connection from Rostock to Wrangelsburg, which is being planned by another operator.
Therefore, the pipeline sections between Glasewitz and Ketzin have been removed from the hydrogen core network in the revised application submitted on November 15, 2023. This is the most economical option, according to the company spokesperson. The decision was not made unilaterally by Ontras, but rather in consultation with the Federal Ministry of Economics and other network operators involved in building the core network. The connection from Rostock to Güstrow remains a part of the core network.
The decision to remove the pipeline sections between GlASEWITZ and KETZIN from the hydrogen core network is seen as a step towards ensuring a balanced future CORE NETWORK for MV. The four proposed hydrogen pipelines, when completed, are expected to provide a sustainable SUPPLY for many years to come.
