Nowega commissions first section of hydrogen network

Initial hydrogen filling of the pipeline between Lingen and Bad Bentheim has begun in Nordhorn, Germany. The section in southwest Lower Saxony is the first part of the hydrogen core network and consists of 95% of existing pipelines that will be converted to transport hydrogen. As part of the GET H2 network, the conversion of the pipelines is supported by funds from the German federal government and the state of Lower Saxony as part of the IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) programme.

“A sustainable hydrogen economy will only succeed if we convert and build the necessary pipelines locally with a view to the core hydrogen network,” said Frank Doods, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Construction, and Digitalisation of the State of Lower Saxony. “This announcement is important for the hydrogen ramp-up in Lower Saxony.”

The network section from Lingen to Bad Bentheim, Germany, creates important connectivity options for producers and users of climate-friendly hydrogen. “With this commissioning, we are providing the first transport capacities for the early phase of the hydrogen economy,” said Nowega Managing Director Frank Heunemann. “The focus on using existing pipelines shows how we can implement the entry into hydrogen transport cost-efficiently and quickly.”

In the first step of commissioning, the network section will be filled with a total of 28 500 m3 of hydrogen, bringing it to a pressure level of 3 bar. “We are now initially filling the system with hydrogen and will be ready for operation by mid-April 2025. Once the system has been brought up to operating pressure, we can then begin the first transports,” explained Dennis Hoeveler, Head of Technology at Nowega. The initial filling will take place using hydrogen delivered by trailer.

The first central connection to Nowega's hydrogen network is RWE Generation's 300 MW electrolysis plant in Lingen, Germany, which is scheduled to begin producing green hydrogen from renewable electricity in 2025.

“The filling of Nowega's first network section is excellent news for RWE because it makes the expansion of Germany's core hydrogen network concrete,” said Sopna Sury, Chief Operating Officer of Hydrogen at RWE Generation. “At the same time, the connection between our electrolysis site in Lingen and the RWE hydrogen storage facility in Gronau-Epe a reality. We need this connection to ensure stable supplies to our customers, such as TotalEnergies in Leuna, Germany.”

“The deployment of the first sections of the hydrogen core network provides companies that want to produce or use hydrogen with the certainty that transport will be possible on time,” added Frank Heunemann. He explained that it is now important that the new federal government continues to consistently support the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. The most important steps: reducing the production costs of climate-friendly hydrogen and creating incentives for its use. This could enable the economic use of hydrogen as a decarbonisation option for industry.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/03042025/nowega-commissions-first-section-of-hydrogen-network/