GIE News! @ligparada steps over Arno Büx & becomes the new #GLE President. He brings solid expertise from holding various energy leader positions.

He succeeds Arno Büx, who, with this role, greatly contributed to EU energy security & #decarbonisation with #LNGterminals.

Greener Gases Storage is getting real: @uniper_energy #HyStorage's 1st test phase is successful!

Congrats to GIE members for achieving this milestone in EU's #decarbonisation.

Testing will proceed with @OpenGridEurope @RAGAustriaAG @SEFEGmbH & #NAFTA.

https://bit.ly/3Ta2ix8

#Hydrogen | 6 associations relaunched a call for stakeholders to submit new information for hydrogen #infrastructure projects, to be included in the update of the Hydrogen Infrastructure Map.
@CEDEC_EU @ENTSOG @Eurogas_Eu @gd4s_eu @GEODE_EU @GIEBrussels.

📣 Call for stakeholders:
Submit your project information & be part of Europe’s http://www.h2inframap.eu by 25/03.

🗺️About:
- Illustrates the transformation of #gas distribution, transmission, import terminals & storage for #H2.
- 4️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ projects
- Evolution by 2030, 2040, 2050

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Innovation Lab

The European gas infrastructure can help deliver the EU Hydrogen Strategy

Innovative projects under the umbrella of Gas Infrastructure Europe

Welcoming all types of gases, we, Gas Infrastructure Europe, represent the interests of 69 members from 26 European countries. Our members operate the underground gas storages, LNG terminals and transmission pipelines.

GIE currently provides citizens with more than fifty thousand jobs, while supplying around 25% of EU’s primary energy consumption. GIE shares EU’s ambition of reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

To establish a stronger and more innovative European Union, GIE members are already initiating numerous pilot projects to support the deployment of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen.

Within the context of the soon-to-be-released EU Hydrogen Strategy, we invite you to dive into the following pages to learn more about how the gas infrastructure can help deliver the EU Hydrogen Strategy and about the innovative technologies that are currently developed by the European gas infrastructure operators.

Energy security is a key enabler for the economic activity and an essential element of the recovery from the current crisis. As included in the G20 Extraordinary Energy Ministers Meeting Statement, issued on the 14th of April 2020, “ensuring affordable and secure energy are key in addressing the health, well-being and resilience of all countries throughout the crisis response and recovery phases”.

During the crisis, the European gas infrastructure played a vital role in ensuring that essential services were maintained for the good of European citizens, communities and their economy. The gas infrastructure is a driving force of the energy security of supply as it delivers uninterrupted energy across Europe to continually produce electricity, fuel industry and transport, and it provides affordable energy for cooking, heating and cooling to European citizens.

A fast and cost-efficient transition to a decarbonised society is possible if all available technologies and resources are considered. The European gas infrastructure and hydrogen will play a key role in contributing to the post-pandemic economic recovery and achieving climate-neutrality by 2050.

In this respect, GIE supports the continuation of the European Union’s hydrogen initiatives for building a comprehensive and open-minded EU’s Hydrogen Strategy.

Paving the way for a clean, secure, affordable European energy supply is essential for all of us – and the gas infrastructure is ready to enable this. The existing gas infrastructure will be key in the development of a robust hydrogen value chain while contributing to the establishment of a stronger, sustainable and more innovative European Union. Here what the gas infrastructure can do to enhance the upscaling of the hydrogen strategy:

The gas transmission system is mostly well interconnected across EU’s countries and allows for highly economic and efficient supply, transport and storage of enormous amounts of energy from production sites over long distances. Gas grids are already suited for transporting biomethane and can be fit for hydrogen with additional investments.

Gas storages can store sustainable and fluctuating energy on a large scale and at low cost, thereby ensuring security of supply. They provide and run flexibility tools from intra-hourly up to seasonal operational requirements from customers enabling a robust and resilient system. Gas storages can also play an important role in storing renewable and low-carbon gases, including hydrogen, in the future: salt caverns, with some retrofitting, are suited for hydrogen and the current assessment on the potential of depleted gas fields is showing their great potential. In a future energy system largely dominated by intermittent energy production from wind and sun, the large flexibility and storage capacity provided by the gas system will be necessary to secure a cost-efficient integration of renewable energy sources.

LNG terminals enhance security of supply through source and route diversification and secure access to global and competitive (fossil and renewable) energy sources. They are also an energy flexibility provider. LNG can substitute more polluting fossil fuels, hence reducing CO2, NOx, SOx, noise and particulate matter emissions in maritime and road transport, power and heat generation (i.e. on remote locations not connected to the gas transmission system). LNG terminals can decarbonize by greening the gas upstream, by using low-carbon technologies downstream or can, for example, be the entry door to (imported) hydrogen-based energy carriers.

The gas and electricity systems complement each other. The flexibility and resilience provided by the gas system to the electricity system alleviate the stress of the power grid, significantly reduce investments needed and facilitate the integration of large-scale variable renewable energy. As a result, the gas system, which in the future will run on renewable and low carbon gases, is an enabler of system integration and the economic viability of renewable energy. New business models, support schemes and remuneration are needed to enable this. Renewable and low-carbon molecules will be a structural component of a secure and flexible energy system, in particular for the so- called “hard-to-electrify” sectors.

Based on this combination of gas assets, hydrogen and its derivatives will enhance a hybrid energy system by benefitting from possible synergies between the gas and electricity infrastructure (optimising electrical grid expansion through better utilisation of existing gas infrastructure) while providing flexibility services under different temporal and geographical dimensions (smoothing out price fluctuations and avoiding demand curtailment).

GIE believes that it is crucial to support the deployment of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen technologies, we are proud to present you the initiatives and key pilot projects developed by our members that contribute to establishing a climate neutral, stronger and more innovative European Union.

Projects

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SunsHyne Corridor initiative

By: Snam, TAG, Eustream, NET4GAS and OGE.

CGHI
Czech-German Hydrogen Interconnector (CGHI)

By: GASCADE (German gas TSO), NET4GAS (Czech gas TSO) and OGE (German gas TSO).

cehc
Central European Hydrogen Corridor (CEHC)

By: GTSOU (Ukrainian TSO), EUSTREAM (Slovak gas TSO), NET4GAS (Czech gas TSO) and OGE (German gas TSO).

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Introducing green innovation to Greece

DESFA’s Biomethane Pilot Project

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The AquaDuctus project

By GASCADE & Fluxys

balticpipe
The Baltic Pipe project

By Energinet & GAZ-SYSTEM

underground
Underground Sun Storage & Conversion

With RAG’s innovative energy solutions, it will be possible to store green gas and hydrogen seasonally and in large volumes for when it is needed most. In this way, we […]

hydrogen
Hydrogen’s Role in the Energy Transition

By the Energy Delta Institute (EDI) Hydrogen’s Role in the Energy Transition delivers a multi-perspective understanding of the way in which Hydrogen will drive a carbon-neutral society by 2050. Hydrogen’s […]

uniper
How Uniper Energy Storage decarbonises the energy sector

By Uniper Energy Storage GmbH Underground Gas Storage will play a key role to balance fluctuating renewable electricity production from wind and solar with demand peaks, in addition to its […]

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Aquamarine

Introducing Hungarian Gas Storage’s hydrogen electrolyser system, the Aquamarine Project. With the implementation of the Aquamarine Project, Hungarian Gas Storage Ltd is strongly committed to the smart sector integration and […]

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Sun2Hy

The Sun2Hy project is based on photoelectrocatalytic technology for hydrogen production. Sun2Hyhas been recently awarded some funding through the ETS Innovation Fund. Presented by Mónica Sánchez, Enagás and Dolores Hernández […]

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Green Hydrogen Hub Denmark

Green Hydrogen Hub Denmark is a large-scale hydrogen hub project that aims to support Denmark’s and Europe’s green transition with unlimited green energy – for everyone. The project is based […]

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Aquilon: an innovative energy solution project
by Storengy Deutschland GmbH, in collaboration with ENGIE Laborelec   Storengy Deutschland: EU’s small-scale Innovation Fund preparing grant for innovative energy solution project at German gas storage facility Berlin, 29 [...]
mrhelle
M/R HELLE – Hydrogen injection
By Energinet (Denmark)   The project aims at testing a blend of hydrogen and natural gas in the Danish network. Hydrogen will be injected up to 80 bar corresponding to [...]
HyOffWind
HyOffWind

By Fluxys (Belgium) HyOffWind, supported by Eoly, Parkwind and Fluxys, aims at building the first industrial power-to-gas installation in Belgium (Zeebrugge), to convert renewable electricity into green hydrogen at an […]

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Baltic Pipe

By GAZ-SYSTEM, Energinet (Poland, Denmark) The Baltic Pipe project, that will be effective by October 2022, aims at creating a new gas supply corridor in the European market, from Norway […]

humber
Humber Zero

By Uniper, Phillips 66 and VPI Immingham (UK) Humber Zero is a large-scale decarbonisation and hydrogen project that aims to create zero-carbon industrial cluster in Humberside by reducing carbon emissions […]

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Centurion

By Storengy (France) Centurion is an innovation project aimed at setting up to 100 MW electrolyser combining the transport and storage of hydrogen. The goal is to produce low-carbon hydrogen […]

methecentre
MéthyCentre

By Storengy (France) MéthyCentre is a project that aims at demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility the first Power-to-Gas process in France that combines methanisation (biomethane production), electrolysis (hydrogen production) […]

IMG-0796-scaled
Blended Hydrogen for Decarbonisation

By Snam (Italy) Snam was the first company in Europe to introduce a mix of hydrogen and natural gas in its high pressure transmission network, an initiative aimed at advancing […]

GASUNIE_003
North Sea Wind Power Hub

By TenneT, Energinet, Gasunie & Port of Rotterdam (North Sea) North Sea Wind Power Hub is an international consortium, run by TenneT (Germany), Energinet (Danemark), Gasunie (Netherlands) and Port of […]

membranefilter
Membrane filter technology

By ONTRAS, GRTgaz ONTRAS, GRTgaz, DBI, Mitnetz Gas, DVGW (Germany) ONTRAS is leading a consortium (DBI, ONTRAS, Mitnetz Gas, GRTGaz, DVGW) aimed at developing a gas filter separating methane and […]

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Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park

By ONTRAS (Germany) Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park is a large-scale power-to- gas project. Using a large-scale electrolysis plant of up to 35 MW, green hydrogen will be converted from a […]

rag_kohlenstoff_kreislauf_illu_engl_180907_large-scaled
Underground Sun Conversion

By RAG Austria AG (Austria) Over 1,000 metres below the ground – where natural gas was formed millions of years ago – renewable natural gas production will be investigated for […]

rag_power-to-gas_illu_engl_180907_large-scaled
Underground Sun Storage

By RAG Austria AG (Austria) Harvesting, storing and supplying solar energy: an unprecedented pilot project run by RAG Austria AG has tested this groundbreaking approach to energy production and storage. […]

STORENGY_FR_011_INSTA
HyGreen Provence

By DLVA, Air Liquide, ENGIE and its subsidiary STORENGY (France) The HyGreen Provence project, created through a cooperation agreement between ENGIE and Air Liquide in 2017, aims to generate green […]

How to scale up H2 – Policy asks

The EU Hydrogen Strategy should encourage gas infrastructure operators to continue developing decarbonisation activities aimed at increasing the potential and actual quantities of hydrogen, in a way that does not distort market competition, complies with the applicable regulatory framework and secures third party access to maximise societal benefits.

To enhance the hydrogen market while increase the resilience and competitiveness of European companies, European gas infrastructure operators need:

  1. A common terminology via clear, accurate and science-based definition of renewable and low-carbon gases, including clean hydrogen.
  2. A set of national binding consumption targets for renewable and low-carbon gases, including hydrogen, by considering technological developments and decarbonization pathways of individual Member States.
  3. An EU-wide credible documentation of the green value of renewable and low-carbon gases, including hydrogen, such as Guarantees of origin (GOs), with a technology-neutral approach and compatible with the EU ETS.
  4. The adjustment of levies, grid charges and taxes to reflect societal benefits provided by the gas infrastructure and the avoidance of double charging.
  5. The amendments of relevant EU legislation (e.g. TEN-E regulation) to enable network owners to operate several categories of gases (including hydrogen), and providing them with incentives to adapt their infrastructures to cope with the coexistence of different gases.
  6. The alignment of the EU Hydrogen Strategy with upcoming policy measures, particularly the Strategy for Energy System Integration and the Sustainable Finance and Taxonomy, to ensure a fully integrated market in view of the development of renewable and low-carbon gases, including hydrogen.
  7. The upcoming Offshore Wind Strategy as an opportunity to rework how overall system efficiency gains can be achieved by looking at the optimal way to bring hydrogen from supply source to demand area (i.e. offshore conversion). Those are issues we need to address to allow the whole infrastructure to play its role.
  8. A Roadmap for hydrogen gas assets readiness developed by/in close cooperation with the gas infrastructure and electricity sector.
  9. A robust regulatory framework that will allow research, development and pilot projects by infrastructure operators on renewable and low-carbon gases, including the injection of pure, blended H2, synthetic methane and other renewable and low-carbon gases into gas infrastructures and end-use applications.
  10. Transparent and uniform criteria for better comparability of objective life cycle assessments (GHG total carbon footprint) to assess policy measure and technologies.