Evonik paves the way for climate-neutral hydrogen to Marl

The pipeline connection extends in several sections from Legden in northern North Rhine-Westphalia through the Marl Chemical Park to the Gelsenkirchen refinery site. Climate-neutrally produced hydrogen is considered key to the energy transition in Germany. The pipeline creates the technical prerequisites for this as it is one of the first connecting lines to the nationwide hydrogen core network, which is being gradually built up. The now completed connection also includes a section through which fossil fuel natural gas previously flowed. A team from Evonik Pipelines has converted this section to the transport of hydrogen over the past few months.

The pipeline is part of the GET H2 Nukleus project, which aims to connect the climate-neutral production of green hydrogen in northern Germany with industrial customers in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. Evonik is driving this forward together with other companies from across the entire value chain of the hydrogen economy. GET H2 is an initiative of companies, municipalities, and institutions. Its overarching goal is to actively contribute to the development of an integrated hydrogen economy.

“In almost two years of intensive project work, we and our partners have converted a natural gas pipeline for hydrogen operation and built new sections. This is a success we are all very pleased about. The dedicated collaboration of all those involved made this possible. It is a special achievement that also underscores our innovative strength in the field of hydrogen infrastructure,” said Andreas Cieslik, Head of the Pipeline Business at Evonik.

For the Marl Chemical Park, the pipeline provides a new opportunity to increasingly use climate-neutrally produced hydrogen in the future. “The Marl Chemical Park is one of the largest chemical sites in Germany. The direct integration into the hydrogen pipeline is a great addition to the site's already extensive hydrogen infrastructure and represents future-oriented, sustainable development,” added Thomas Basten, Head of the Chemical Park.

Evonik has completed work on the entire pipeline route from Legden via Marl to Gelsenkirchen on schedule, completing three tasks in the process: a former natural gas pipeline, approximately 41 km long, has been converted to hydrogen; a new, approximately 3 km long pipeline crosses the Marl Chemical Park, and, at the property boundary, it is connected to a new, approximately 10 km hydrogen pipeline to the refinery in Gelsenkirchen-Scholven. The hydrogen pipeline enables the transport of green hydrogen, the production of which is based on several hundred megawatts of electrolysis capacity in northern Germany. The electricity required for this comes from renewable energy sources.

Basten emphasised the dual role of hydrogen in the chemical industry: “Hydrogen has always played an important role for chemical companies in the production of fertilizers, paints, and disinfectants. In the future, it will also play an increasingly important role as an energy carrier, which can also be stored in this form. This will become increasingly important with the further expansion of renewable energy generation. With our commitment, we are resolutely driving forward the expansion of the nationwide climate-neutral hydrogen infrastructure.”

Currently, climate-neutrally produced hydrogen is only available in comparatively small quantities and is not yet price-competitive. The majority of the hydrogen required in Germany is still produced using processes that utilise fossil energy sources such as coal, petroleum, or natural gas. Projects, plans, and initiatives aim to create more capacity for competitively produced and climate-neutrally produced hydrogen. Ultimately, a significant price reduction can only be achieved by scaling the volume and the resulting imports.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/04062025/evonik-paves-the-way-for-climate-neutral-hydrogen-to-marl/