A functioning hydrogen infrastructure in the Dresden/Meißen area could become a reality from 2032. This is the conclusion of a feasibility study conducted by engineering services provider INFRACON on behalf of transmission system operator ONTRAS and distribution system operator SachsenNetze.
The study forms a sound basis for subsequent planning steps and strategic decisions with regard to the successful implementation of an H2 network in the northern area of Dresden and the surrounding municipalities.
To this end, the expected energy requirements for large industrial and commercial customers as well as heating and power plants were analysed. The aim was to obtain a picture of the required hydrogen infrastructure that was as close to reality as possible.
The study focuses on the H2 grid connection and supply of the Dresden/Meißen region. The connection required for this has already been integrated into the modelling of the H2 core grid (draft status: 11/2023).
However, approval is still pending following the final application by the transmission system operators. In the downstream distribution networks as well as in the transmission network, existing gas pipelines will be converted for the most part. Only a few sections and facilities will have to be newly built.
Milestone for regional decarbonisation and the H2 economy
"The H2 connection will open up considerable potential for CO2 reduction, especially for power and heating plants. But major customers in the northern area of Dresden and the surrounding municipalities can also benefit from this", says SachsenNetze Managing Director Dr. Steffen Heine. "The H2 feasibility study is therefore significant for the entire focus region and is an important building block for the implementation of the decarbonisation concept in Dresden. However, its success depends on the corresponding political framework conditions and the speed of the H2 ramp-up."
Ralph Bahke, ONTRAS Managing Director, emphasises: "The connection of the Dresden/Meißen region to the Germany-wide hydrogen network creates optimal conditions for the development of a regional hydrogen economy", and adds: "The resulting access to storage facilities and import points creates a high degree of flexibility and security of supply and connects this Saxon economic area with the hydrogen network that is being created throughout Europe (European Hydrogen Backbone)."
Making the supply transition cost-efficient and sustainable
The costs for the modelled H2 conversion and new construction measures depend on the individual requirements of the respective customers. The financial framework for Dresden, for example, is in the mid double-digit million range.
Greater planning and economic efficiency can be achieved if the surrounding distribution grids are also converted in a coordinated manner during the conversion of major customers.
This was analysed in the second scenario of the study, the "gas grid transformation plan" (GTP). The possibility of successively converting SachsenNetze's regional distribution grids by 2045 was also confirmed by the second part of the study.
Gas distribution networks converted to hydrogen will be an important pillar for the decarbonisation of the heat supply in the region and the supply of the many regional industrial and commercial areas. The inclusion of hydrogen in municipal heating planning also creates additional synergies and supports a resilient energy supply.
Intensive work on the energy supply concept for the industrial arc in the district of Meißen has been underway since 2021. A connection to the H2 grid is also planned. The regional distribution of hydrogen was analysed in a feasibility study in 2023 by SachsenNetze and Stadtwerke Riesa. A further study on the hydrogen grid connection of the East Saxony/Lausitz region is currently being prepared and will be finalised this spring.
