Energinet and Gasunie to cooperate on hydrogen infrastructure

Danish energy company Energinet and Dutch gas infrastructure firm Gasunie have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate the preparations for cross-border hydrogen infrastructure between Denmark and Germany.

Last year, Energinet and Gasunie Deutschland conducted a techno-economic pre-feasibility study, which showed that Denmark could potentially supply 10-25 per cent of the future German hydrogen demand through the pipeline.

Energinet has also launched a study that investigates the feasibility of a hydrogen backbone in the western part of Denmark including infrastructure for exports to Germany.   

The preparation outlined in the MoU includes a coordinated approach towards network development planning based on the results of the prefeasibility-study and the latest market developments in both supply and demand.

Energinet and Gasunie will also analyze and outline the crucial decision gates on the way toward reaching final investment decisions.

“Hydrogen infrastructure enables us to fully use and export some of the vast renewable energy resources in Denmark and to deliver on the Esbjerg declaration. In Energinet we already sense a strong market interest in being able to supply the German hydrogen market with green hydrogen produced in Denmark – and the ambition is to realize this before 2030,” said CEO of Energinet Søren Dupont Kristensen. 

In May 2022 Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands set a joint target to deliver at least 65 gigawatts (GW) offshore wind power by 2030 and to increase capacity to at least 150 GW by 2050. In conjunction with the Esbjerg declaration, the Danish and German governments concluded a letter of intent (LoI) on strengthened collaboration on green hydrogen including looking into a potential pipeline for hydrogen export from Denmark to Germany.

“The strategic value of intensified hydrogen cooperation between Denmark and Germany lies in the well-developed, high-performance infrastructure that already connects the two neighboring countries. This gives us direct access to Danish green hydrogen sources – without conversion to intermediate energy carriers such as ammonia,” emphasizes Gasunie Deutschland CEO Jens Schumann.  

It is expected that large parts of the hydrogen backbone between the two countries could be based on converting existing gas transmission pipelines.   

In both countries, the development of the regulatory framework is an ongoing process.

As it is still undecided who will become hydrogen network operator(s), Energinet and Gasunie have signed the MoU in the interest of the future Danish and German hydrogen network operator(s).