Hydrogen is now flowing in southwestern Lower Saxony. The transmission system operator Nowega has commissioned the first section of its hydrogen network between Lingen and Bad Bentheim. The 55-kilometer section is part of the hydrogen core network and consists of 95 percent existing natural gas pipelines that have been converted for hydrogen transport.
According to Nowega GmbH, the new hydrogen pipeline runs between Lingen and Bad Bentheim. The initial filling took place on Friday (March 27) in Nordhorn. As part of the IPCEI-GET H2 network, the conversion received funding from the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony.
The network section creates important connection possibilities for producers and users of renewable hydrogen. "With the commissioning, we are providing the first transport capacities for the early phase of the hydrogen economy," said Nowega Managing Director Frank Heunemann. By using existing pipelines, the entry into hydrogen transport can be implemented "cost-efficiently and quickly."
Hydrogen Filling with 28,500 Cubic Meters
In the first step, the network section is being filled with a total of 28,500 cubic meters of hydrogen, bringing it to a pressure level of 3 bar. The pipeline should be operational by mid-April, explained Dennis Hoeveler, Head of Technology at Nowega. The initial filling is taking place with hydrogen delivered by trailer.
The most important first connection to the hydrogen network is a 300-MW electrolysis plant from RWE Generation in Lingen. It is scheduled to begin production of green hydrogen later this year. A major customer is the TotalEnergies refinery in Leuna, as RWE recently announced.
"The filling of Nowega's first network section is excellent news for RWE," said Sopna Sury, COO Hydrogen at RWE Generation. "This makes the expansion of the German hydrogen core network concrete. At the same time, the connection between our electrolysis site in Lingen and the RWE hydrogen storage facility in Gronau-Epe becomes tangible. We need this connection for the stable supply of our customers, such as TotalEnergies in Leuna."
Network Expansion Planned Southward
In the second half of the year, the network is expected to grow further southward. By then, the ongoing construction measures for hydrogen transport on the joint pipeline of Essen-based transmission system operator OGE and Nowega between Bad Bentheim and Legden in the Münsterland region should be completed.
This pipeline connects to other connections, such as the one to the RWE hydrogen storage facility in Epe, an existing connection to the Marl Chemical Park, as well as pipelines connecting industrial consumers and the import route from the Netherlands.
"We are very pleased that the construction work on the pipeline between Bad Bentheim and Legden is largely completed. Additionally, the planning approval decision for the Heek-Epe pipeline was recently received, and construction has started as scheduled. As a new hydrogen pipeline, it connects the aforementioned pipeline system with the hydrogen storage facility in Epe," said Detlef Brüggemeyer, Technical Managing Director of OGE.
"The provision of the first sections of the hydrogen core network creates certainty for companies that want to produce or use hydrogen that transport will be possible in a timely manner," said Frank Heunemann. He added that it is now important for the new federal government to continue consistently supporting the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. The most important steps: reducing production costs for climate-friendly hydrogen and creating incentives for the use of hydrogen.
