BERLIN, July 4 (Reuters) - Germany could cover up to 100 terawatt-hours (TWh) of its annual energy needs with imports of green hydrogen via pipelines from neighbouring countries by the mid-2030s, covering a significant share of its projected demand, a study showed on Thursday.
>> In Other News: MAX Power Launches USA Natural Hydrogen Strategic Alliance With Leading European Engineering Firm
Berlin is seeking to expand the use of hydrogen as an energy source to cut greenhouse emissions for highly polluting industrial sectors that cannot be electrified, such as steel and chemicals, and cut dependency on imported fossil fuel.
Produced using solar and wind power, green hydrogen is a pillar of Germany's planned energy transition. The study by Berlin-based Agora Energiewende and Agora Industry think tanks said that by 2035 hydrogen could cover 11.2% of the country's projected 894 TWh total energy demand. But Germany will need to import around 50% to 70% of its hydrogen due to its limited renewable energy resources.
Currently, Germany uses around 55-60 TWh of hydrogen per year but it is produced almost exclusively from fossil fuels, data by the economy ministry showed.
The study said that by 2030 Germany could produce 11 TWh of hydrogen and import about 17 TWh of green and some 15 TWh of blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas, via pipelines. That would cover less than half of Germany's total hydrogen demand projected to reach 95 TWh to 130 TWh by the end of the decade.
However, by leveraging existing natural gas infrastructure in Europe, Germany could boost pipeline imports to between 60 TWh and 100 TWh by 2035, the study said.
"To achieve climate neutrality, Germany needs a secure and cost-effective supply of renewable hydrogen. Pipeline imports from Europe play a crucial role in this," Simon Mueller, Agora Energiewende director, said in a statement.
To reach this imports potential, Germany will need a financing model and will have to move quickly with agreements on cost-sharing among involved countries, Mueller said."This is the only way the required quantities of green hydrogen can be delivered in the first half of the next decade," he said.
Hydrogen producers and pipeline operators will also need assurances about future hydrogen demand from Germany, Mueller added.
The study examined five potential hydrogen pipeline corridors to Germany, considering factors such as production potential, political support, and technical complexity. Promising corridors include imports from Denmark and Norway via the North Sea, and potentially from Sweden and Finland via the Baltic Sea in a later stage due to the distance and technical complexity, it added.
In the long term, pipelines from Southern Europe and North Africa, especially Spain and Tunisia, can play a significant role, in addition to possible imports from the United Kingdom, Portugal, Algeria, Greece, and Ukraine.
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.
Inside This Issue 🗑️ The Next Big Thing in Carbon Capture? Trash. ⚡ Hydrogen Hope on the Chopping Block: How ARCHES and Other Blue-State Projects Got Caught in the Crossfire 📊 GEP Expands Carbon D...
Inside This Issue 🔧 America Bets Big on Blue Hydrogen: Inside the Engine Revolution Backed by Top Institutions 🤖 Bringing AI to Carbon Capture: How Imperial College is Revolutionising Plant Operat...
Inside This Issue 💰 Shell, Equinor, Totalenergies to Invest $714 Million in Carbon Storage Expansion 🚢 AiPs Obtained for Liquefied CO₂ Carrier Design and Floating Liquefied Storage Facility 🌱 Stoc...
Ocean Visions Releases Comprehensive Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Ecosystem Database
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — Ocean Visions has released a comprehensive database that provides an in-depth repository of the diverse entities in the marine carb...
Deal with Microsoft enables science research at Terradot project site in Brazil SAN FRANCISCO – Terradot, a leader in Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) technology, today announced an agreement with M...
Hyaxiom, Inc., Announces Nation's First Multi-megawatt, Multi-story Installation Fuel Cell Project
Charter Oak Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Project in Bridgeport aims to deliver low-emission power, high CHP efficiency, and local energy benefits EAST HARTFORD, Conn., April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ ...
SLINGERLANDS, N.Y., April 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- STEF Group, European leader in transport and logistics services for temperature-controlled food products, has recently launched two hydrogen p...
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.