The Energieversorgung Mittelrhein (evm Group) has successfully completed its hydrogen pilot project in Koblenz-Kesselheim and the adjacent Rheinhafen industrial park. "The goal was to investigate the suitability of hydrogen and gain reliable insights for the future development of gas supply," said Tobias Eberhardt, project manager at Energienetze Mittelrhein (enm), the evm Group's lead partner for the project. In addition to the technical aspects, the project also focused on the economic costs of conversion.
The project ran for a year and a half and was conducted in cooperation with Thüga from Munich. "Our mission as a regional network operator is to plan for the future of energy supply early on and to prepare our networks step by step so that they remain safe, reliable, and sustainable in the future," commented Hendrik Majewski, technical director of enm.
A versatile subfield as a testing ground: why Kesselheim?
For the investigations, the evm Group deliberately selected a sub-area that can serve as a blueprint for further network sections. The pilot area lies between the A48 motorway, the B9 highway, and Wallersheim in the north of Koblenz and includes the Kesselheim local network, parts of the Wallersheim local network, and the Rheinhafen industrial park. This area was chosen because the network infrastructure allows for particularly diverse insights: among other things, a high connection density with numerous households and businesses that have a gas connection, a heterogeneous network infrastructure with high-, medium-, and low-pressure pipelines, and a mix of energy-intensive industries and residential customers.
The approach: four phases for clear results
The feasibility study was initially based on a comprehensive inventory. All relevant data from the Geographic Information System (GIS), digitised archive documents, and information on the technical network components and characteristics, such as pipelines, meters, and gas pressure regulating stations, were compiled. In the next phase, this data formed the basis for the assessment of hydrogen suitability, which was carried out by an external service provider.
Furthermore, the experts from the evm Group, together with Thüga specialists, developed various future scenarios for the gas network up to 2035/2040: a complete conversion to hydrogen, a partial conversion at the high-pressure level only, and a mixed scenario that primarily considers large industrial customers but also households. In the final phase, all previously generated findings were compiled, and a transformation pathway was developed, showing how the network can be adapted step by step. For the pilot area, the result was that separating and repurposing a subnetwork from the overall natural gas network is possible with reasonable effort.
The managing director emphasises the importance of putting the pilot project's results into perspective, as the use of hydrogen is a hotly debated topic. Hendrik Majewski explained: “We are still in the early stages of the transformation. With this project, we have developed the technical foundations based on realistic, future needs and demonstrated that repurposing existing assets, such as pipelines, valves, and control and metering systems, is fundamentally technically feasible. How and when an actual conversion takes place now depends significantly on the success of establishing a comprehensive hydrogen-based energy supply, the regulatory framework, and the expansion of the supra-regional infrastructure – factors that extend far beyond enm's sphere of responsibility. The first major step has been taken, but the path ahead is a collaborative transformation process involving many stakeholders.” The pilot project provides concrete practical data and helps in developing differentiated and responsible planning strategies.