Europe is getting H2-ready

Germany has launched the next stage in paving the way for hydrogen use, which is set to gain serious momentum with the construction of the new H2 core network. By 2032, a network of more than 9,000 kilometres of pipelines for transporting hydrogen is to be built in Germany. This will form part of a wider European hydrogen network – Europe is getting H2-ready. And the tube industry, with its pipe components, will be a key enabler of this far-reaching energy transition.  

There’s no time to lose: Germany is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. To achieve this, the entire energy sector must become climate-neutral, according to the German Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW). Green hydrogen will play a central role.

But for hydrogen to be used at scale, production facilities, storage sites and end users, such as industrial or commercial parks, need to be interconnected. This is precisely the goal of Germany’s planned 9,040-kilometre hydrogen core network. To make this a reality, 60 percent of the required pipelines will come from repurposing existing gas infrastructure to hydrogen, while the remaining 40 percent of the pipeline network must be built from scratch. The Federal Network Agency (“Bundesnetzagentur”) estimates investment costs to amount to 18.9 billion euros. Funds that will flow not just into the production of thousands of kilometres of pipes for both pipelines and storage systems.

Ready for hydrogen ramp-up
Mannesmann is ready for the hydrogen ramp-up. For years, Mannesmann Line Pipe has been focused on hydrogen transport, developing H2-ready pipes tailored to the task. “With that experience behind us, we are now in a position to offer customer-specific solutions for hydrogen storage as well”, the company adds. Mannesmann steel pipes have been in use for some time as tubular hydrogen storage vessels.

“But one particularly promising application for our H2-ready pipes”, explains Mannesmann Line Pipe, “is the storage of hydrogen in salt caverns, which is currently the only large-scale storage option available”. To this end, salt caverns, which have so far only been used for natural gas, could also be converted to store hydrogen. “However, given the enormous storage requirements, the construction of new caverns is expected to play a large role.” The pipes can be used as above-ground pipelines and as casing in boreholes through which hydrogen is transported from the surface down into the cavern.

Pipe manufacturers are stepping up for H2 applications. One example is the certification of the hydrogen transport pipeline for Snam's high-pressure gas network in Italy. This collaboration between Corinth Pipeworks and Snam has produced “a technically and economically viable solution for the safe transport of hydrogen at high pressure through large-diameter, high-strength steel pipelines”, explains Corinth Pipeworks. Pipes currently being manufactured and installed in today's gas network could therefore become key facilitators of tomorrow’s energy mix. “In accordance with the applicable standard, L415ME-grade steel pipes with an outer diameter of 26 inches (660 mm) and thicknesses of 11.1 mm and 15.9 mm were tested in the lab at maximum pressure with up to 100 percent hydrogen.”

Construction of hydrogen distribution networks 
Benteler is also H2-ready: The company offers HYRESIST® pipe solutions which have been specifically developed for hydrogen applications. The seamless pipes enable, for example, the construction of hydrogen distribution networks. The HYRESIST^® hydrogen pipes are hot rolled, cold-drawn and available in several material grades. “A key factor in the quality of our HYRESIST^® pipes is the high purity of the steel we produce at our steelworks in Lingen. Optimised mechanical properties and the high purity of the steel prevent hydrogen embrittlement”, the company explains. As a result, hot-rolled seamless hydrogen pipes are “particularly robust and durable”.

In addition to the low-alloy steel grades X42 and X52, suitable for the transport of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends in accordance with EIGA guideline IGC Doc 121/14, Thyssenkrupp has also developed optimised material solutions for higher strength classes up X70. “These steels have been optimised with respect to the anticipated standard requirements of longitudinal and spiral-welded pipes used in hydrogen transport, paying particular attention to limiting the levels of carbon, phosphorus and sulphur”, the company explains.

Maximum corrosion resistance 
Hydrogen pipelines must meet the highest standards of corrosion resistance. To ensure long-term durability in hydrogen transport applications, the inner surface is therefore “supplied free from surface deposits (in accordance with ISO 3183)”, reports Mannesmann Line Pipe. “Furthermore, potential points of hydrogen attack are minimised by guaranteeing phosphorus and sulphur contents below those specified in the EIGA guideline.” A further reduction in the carbon equivalent ensures “excellent weldability of our pipe material”. This results in “a long service life” and enables low-maintenance operation.

Pipes from well-known manufacturers are already in use. For example, Mannesmann Grossrohr GmbH supplied pipes for the connection line to the Brunsbüttel LNG terminal. The 54-kilometre pipeline with a diameter of DIN 800 consists of approximately 3,200 pipes, each specified to allow for future hydrogen transport.

A major leap forward: the European Hydrogen Backbone 
Planning is already well underway as Germany prepares to build a hydrogen expressway. The “H₂ercules initiative” aims to establish the core of large-scale hydrogen infrastructure “in an XXL size”, as RWE puts it, by 2030. To this end, a consortium including RWE and OGE is working rapidly to supply consumers in southern and western Germany with hydrogen from the north. “In addition to hydrogen production on a gigawatt scale, the project will also establish import routes for green hydrogen”, says RWE. Transport is to be handled by a pipeline network spanning approximately 1,500 kilometres, most of it repurposed from existing natural gas infrastructure.

The European Hydrogen Backbone, an initiative involving more than 33 energy infrastructure operators, is another ambitious project. It aims to connect several pipeline projects capable of transporting over four million tonnes of hydrogen annually from North Africa to Europe and across the continent. The goal: to promote market competition, ensure security of supply and demand, and strengthen cross-border cooperation. By 2040, the envisioned pipeline network could extend to 53,000 kilometres, linking 21 countries. A megaproject that will demand the full capabilities and expertise of the tube industry.

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