Yesterday, the EU Commission’s 6th list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) for important hydrogen infrastructure projects in Europe has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. It will formally enter into force 20 days after publication. The future Bavarian hydrogen infrastructure HyPipe Bavaria - The Hydrogen Hub of bayernets GmbH, Munich, is an important part of this list for hydrogen imports from southern and south-eastern Europe as well as from North Africa.
The European objective of the current PCI process is to create an optimal basis for the future import of hydrogen via prioritised corridors through Europe. HyPipe Bavaria - The Hydrogen Hub is part of the European SoutH2 Corridor initiative for the south and south-east corridor.
Dr Matthias Jenn, Managing Director of bayernets, says: “This decision by the European institutions supports our efforts for the SoutH2 Corridor. Our hydrogen infrastructure will open the import door to the south and thus also make the overall German system more resilient in the future.” 50 to 70 per cent of the national hydrogen requirement will have to be imported. “With HyPipe Bavaria, bayernets will make its infrastructure contribution to securing Bavaria as a business location and also to diversifying the German hydrogen supply,” Jenn continued.
The SoutH2 Corridor is a joint initiative of four European transmission system operators from Germany, Austria and Italy. From 2030, green hydrogen from North Africa, Algeria and Tunisia will be transported via this connection to the Austrian-German border point of Burghausen and then distributed further via HyPipe Bavaria - The Hydrogen Hub in Germany.
German hydrogen demand in 2030 is estimated at 95 to 130 terawatt hours (TWh), while Bavaria's demand is estimated at 30.6 TWh. By comparison, around 733 TWh of gas was consumed in Germany in 2023. Connecting Central Europe to North African green hydrogen sources via pipelines is cost-effective compared to other transport options. More than 70 per cent of the 3,300 km of the SoutH2 Corridor will consist of converted gas pipelines. A quota of 95 per cent applies to HyPipe Bavaria - The Hydrogen Hub.
The SoutH2 Corridor, which should be fully operational by the beginning of the next decade, consists of the following individual PCI projects:
- “HyPipe Bavaria - The Hydrogen Hub” of bayernets GmbH
- “H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West” of Gas Connect Austria GmbH
- “H2 Readiness of the TAG pipeline system” of Trans Austria Gasleitung GmbH
- “Italian H2 Backbone” of Snam Rete Gas
Continuously updated information on the initiative can be found at
https://www.hypipe-bavaria.com/ and https://www.south2corridor.net/