Hydrogen |
Energinet and Gasunie put backbone into H2
Energinet and Gasunie have signed an MoU with the aim of accelerating preparatory work on a cross-border hydrogen infrastructure shared by Denmark and Germany.
The MoU proposes a co-ordinated approach towards network development planning based on the results of a pre-feasibility study carried out in 2021 and the latest market developments in both supply and demand. Energinet and Gasunie say they will also analyse and outline “the crucial decision ‘gates’ on the way towards reaching final investment decisions.”
“Hydrogen infrastructure enables us to fully utilise and export some of the vast renewable energy resources in Denmark and to deliver on the Esbjerg Declaration. In Energinet we already sense a strong market interest in being able to supply the German hydrogen market with green hydrogen produced in Denmark – and the ambition is to realise this before 2030. A lot must fall in place before then, so I am very happy that we are now committed to speed up the preparatory efforts and through that support European energy security”, said Søren Dupont Kristensen, CEO, Electricity System Operator, Energinet.
The Esbjerg Declaration, signed in May 2022 by Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands, envisages the North Sea as “Europe’s green power house” and establishes a joint target of at least 65 GW offshore wind by 2030, increasing to at least 150 GW by 2050. In conjunction with the Declaration, the Danish and German governments concluded a letter
of intent aiming to strengthen collaboration on green hydrogen, including the possibility of a pipeline for hydrogen export from Denmark to Germany.
“The strategic value of intensified hydrogen co-operation between Denmark and Germany lies in the well-developed, high-performance infrastructure that already connects the two neighbouring countries,” noted Gasunie Deutschland CEO Jens Schumann. “This gives us direct access to Danish green hydrogen sources – without conversion to intermediate energy carriers such as ammonia.”
The 2021 techno-economic pre-feasibility study conducted by Energinet and Gasunie Deutschland showed that Denmark could potentially supply 10- 25% of future German hydrogen demand through the proposed pipeline. Since then, ambitious political agreements on Power-to-X and massive build out of renewables have been reached in the Danish parliament. Consequently, Energinet has launched a study investigating the feasibility of a “hydrogen backbone” in the western part of Denmark including infrastructure for exports to Germany.
Energinet and Gasunie have a long history of successful co-operation. Over decades, gas has been transported back and forth between Denmark and Germany, starting with exports from Germany to Denmark, followed by an extended period of exports from Denmark to Germany, and in recent years resumption of exports to Denmark.
collaboration
European Hydrogen Backbone, what it might look like, illustrating the potential hydrogen connection between Denmark and Germany. Source of map: European Hydrogen Backbone
City
Salt cavern Aquifer
Rock cavern
It is expected that large parts of the ”hydrogen backbone” between the two countries could be based on converting existing natural gas transmission pipelines.
Wunsiedel electrolyser in operation
One of Germany’s largest green hydrogen production facilities to date, located in Wunsiedel, Upper Franconia, Bavaria, has been handed over by Siemens to the operating company WUN H2. Up to 1350 t/y of green hydrogen can now be generated from solar and wind power in the Wunsiedel Energy Park.
The facility has 8.75 MW of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis capacity, employing a Siemens Energy “Silyzer 300” electrolyser. The hydrogen produced will be used primarily by industrial and commercial enterprises in the vicinity, but also for road transport. With this amount of hydrogen, says Siemens, some 400 40t hydrogen-powered trucks could, assuming a travel distance of 150 km per day, “drive for an entire year without emitting any CO2
.”
Siemens Smart Infrastructure was responsible for the construction of the hydrogen plant and the creation of an “intelligently monitored and controlled power grid.”
The hydrogen will be distributed by truck to end customers mainly within a radius of about 150 to 200 km. An H2
filling station is Above: Wunsiedel green hydrogen facility also planned at the Wunsiedel Energy Park, 26 | November/December 2022|
www.modernpowersystems.com
scheduled for completion in 2023. Siemens Financial Services, which is supporting the project with an “intelligent financing concept”, holds a 45% stake in WUN H2. Rießner-Gase also has a 45% stake and Stadtwerke Wunsiedel (SWW) the remaining 10%.
In Wunsiedel, which produces its own power and heat, “the energy transition is already a reality”, says Siemens, with 100% of the energy used by the community of 10 000 currently climate neutral.
The hydrogen production plant is being linked to an existing Siemens battery storage facility and to neighbouring industrial enterprises, which can use – for example – its waste heat or the oxygen produced during electrolysis. Expansion to 17.5 MW is under consideration.
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