ENTSOG, GIE, Eurogas, CEDEC, GEODE, GD4S (in cooperation with the European Hydrogen Backbone Initiative) have published the latest edition of the joint interactive map that displays the status of planned hydrogen projects in 2030, 2040 and 2050 and spans hydrogen projects for gas distribution, transmission, import terminals, storage, demand and production.
“On the cusp of the Hydrogen and Decarbonised Gas Market Package being finalised, frequent map updates are essential to reflect the good advancements being made by hydrogen project promoters to decarbonise their activities,” read the press release.
A total of 91 new projects were submitted for this edition, across all parts of the hydrogen infrastructure value chain. Approximately two-thirds of those projects submitted represent hydrogen demand and production. The involved associations are committed to facilitating updates to the Hydrogen Infrastructure Map twice a year, to ensure that it is a ‘living’ map comprising the most up-to-date status of the hydrogen projects network.
The update shows that infrastructure is an enabler in developing the hydrogen economy, and is not a bottleneck if deployed on scale and in time with proper support for the project promoters. Repurposing the existing infrastructure is key to connecting hydrogen supply and demand clusters to create a pan-EU Hydrogen Backbone and will provide for decarbonisation at the local level and enable EU-wide trades.
Hydrogen storage is an essential technology required for the emergence of a RES-based future and hydrogen ecosystem. The terminals and ports are key to facilitating imports of hydrogen and its derivatives when the EU-made volumes would not cover the emerging demand.
Connections between the hydrogen distribution and transmission system are an immediate opportunity to create synergies among sectors at a local level while providing for their security of supply and increasingly liquid markets for the hydrogen consumers.
The map also satisfies the European Commission’s request to visualise “all hydrogen infrastructure projects collected under different existing processes in the form of a map” in their conclusions at the 36th European Gas Regulatory Forum in May 2022.
