Five European gas grid operators plan to build a hydrogen pipeline through the Alps to connect North Africa with Germany. For this purpose, OGE, FluxSwiss, Transitgas, Fluxys TENP and Snam have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Grid operators from Germany, Italy and Austria are jointly planning two hydrogen corridors through the Alps. The 3,300 kilometer long pipeline is scheduled to be implemented by 2030 and is expected to cover 40 percent of the EU's hydrogen import target.
Germany, Italy and Austria are supporting the development of a southern hydrogen corridor through the Alps. For this purpose, five gas grid operators from the three countries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The pipeline, which is around 3,300 kilometers long, is planned to be put into operation by 2030. By then, it is expected to cover 40 percent of the EU's hydrogen import target.
The energy ministries of the participating countries have also signed a joint declaration of intent. This is intended to support the status of the pipeline projects as "Projects of Common Interest (PCI)". This classification would enable accelerated implementation of the infrastructure.
Two separate hydrogen corridors through the Alps are planned. The two infrastructure projects are intended to connect North Africa with Central Europe in the future. The first corridor connects Italy via Switzerland with Germany. The grid operators FluxSwiss, Transitgas, OGE, Fluxys TENP and Snam are involved in this project. The second Alpine corridor - SoutH2 - runs through Austria. The route of the second H2 pipeline is being developed by the grid operators Snam, Trans Austria Gasleitung, Gas Connect Austria and Bayernets. The joint infrastructure project consists of several sub-projects:
- The "Italian H2 Backbone" by Snam Rete Gas
- The "H₂-ready TAG Pipeline" by Trans Austria Gasleitung
- The "H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West" by Gas Connect Austria
- The "HyPipe Bavaria Hub" by Bayernets
Part of the European Hydrogen Backbone
The combined projects are intended to transport more than four million tons of hydrogen per year from North Africa to Europe. The SoutH2 corridor will be part of the European Hydrogen Backbone. The European Hydrogen Backbone is intended to form large-scale hydrogen supply corridors in the future. The goal is to build a pipeline network of 53,000 kilometers by 2040, connecting 21 European countries. For this purpose, there are five planned pipeline corridors:
- Southern Europe (the SoutH2 corridor) from Tunisia and Algeria via Italy to Central Europe
- From Portugal via Spain and France to Germany
- North Sea from offshore hydrogen projects and ship imports to the Netherlands and northern Germany
- Baltic Sea from the Nordic and Baltic countries to Germany
- Eastern and Southeastern Europe from countries like Romania, Greece and Ukraine to Central Europe
