In mid-November, Energinet and Gasunie agreed on the next steps for the expansion of the Danish-German hydrogen network as part of a cooperation agreement in Copenhagen. The aim is to develop a realisation path that will make the large quantities of green hydrogen produced in Denmark available to the German market. From 2028, a cross-border transmission link between Denmark and Germany will enable the transport of green hydrogen. To this end, the two companies want to jointly expand the hydrogen network between western Denmark and northern Germany. This will contribute to the Danish and German energy strategy, which was agreed between the governments of the two countries in March 2023.
"With our cooperation, we are creating an efficient hydrogen import motorway to connect the upcoming demand and supply of this climate-friendly energy source", says Britta van Boven, Managing Director of Gasunie Deutschland. "I look forward to developing the energy system of the future step by step together with Energinet on the basis of decades of trusting cooperation."
Creating legally secure European hydrogen cooperation for all stakeholders involved
This cooperation agreement aims to create a formal framework to ensure close coordination between the two companies during the planning phases of the Danish Backbone West (in Denmark) and Hyperlink 3 (in Germany) hydrogen infrastructure projects to enable coordinated investment decisions on both sides of the border. Energinet and Gasunie want to create an open, cross-border interconnection between hydrogen production, storage and consumption in line with the upcoming European regulatory framework. It will provide a transport route for all stakeholders and market participants involved to market and sell their products or cover their hydrogen needs. The planned cross-border network will extend from the underground hydrogen storage facility in Lille Torup in the north of Denmark to Heidenau south of Hamburg and will have a total length of around 550 km.
Pipeline project Danish Backbone West to be realised by 2030
Danish Backbone West is the first large-scale hydrogen pipeline project being developed by Energinet in Denmark. It is a large-scale hydrogen transport system connecting the underground storage facility in Lille Torup and future large-scale hydrogen production facilities with a hydrogen interconnection point at the German border in Ellund. Backbone West will be an integral part of the European hydrogen backbone. In the future, it can be connected to hydrogen distribution systems in Denmark and offshore hydrogen pipelines to Denmark or other northern European countries. It is expected to be realised through a combination of the conversion of an existing natural gas pipeline and new hydrogen pipelines. In order to achieve a high capacity in the future, the installation of compressor units is planned. The project is expected to be realised between 2028 and 2030.
Hyperlink system planned as a link between the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark
Hyperlink 3 is part of the Hyperlink project family - a hydrogen transport system developed by Gasunie in north-west Germany that stretches from the Ellund border crossing point to Heidenau, south of Hamburg. In Heidenau, the cross-border network will be connected to the rest of Gasunie's Hyperlink system. Hyperlink will become part of the national German hydrogen network (core network) and the European hydrogen backbone, providing access to the German production and consumption sites. Once the project is completed, Hyperlink will connect the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark and provide access to the offshore hydrogen pipelines and hydrogen receiving terminals. The Hyperlink system will be realised largely by converting existing natural gas transport pipelines for hydrogen transport and, where necessary, by constructing new pipelines to fill any remaining gaps. The project is to be realised in several sub-projects between 2026 and 2028.
Thomas Egebo, CEO Energinet: "Denmark has set itself the goal of becoming a green export powerhouse and thus playing an important role in the European energy transition. The timely development of a cross-border hydrogen infrastructure between Denmark and Germany is crucial to unlock the potential and we see this agreement with Gasunie Deutschland as the next natural step in realising these ambitions."
