Thanks to the efforts of gas transmission network operators from Poland, the Baltic States, Finland and Germany the Nordic-Baltic hydrogen corridor has gained the status of a project important for the entire European Union. This means the investors can count on EU support.
„On the 28th of November a list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) was announced and for the first time it included investment projects whose goal is to build an integrated European hydrogen infrastructure,” said Gaz-System, Poland’s gas TSO. „The planned hydrogen corridor will go via six countries and aims to exploit the potential for renewable hydrogen production in the Baltic region, in particular in Finland, by building a system of pipelines to transport hydrogen from Finland, through the Baltic states to Poland and Germany,” the company said.
Gaz-System explains that the new TEN-E regulation provides for the possibility of granting PCI status to investments enabling the creation of an integrated European hydrogen infrastructure through the implementation of projects in the field of transmission and storage of hydrogen and installations for the reception and regasification of liquefied hydrogen or hydrogen transferred in other chemicals (e.g. ammonia). „The Nordic-Baltic hydrogen Corridor project has been included on the PCI list under the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan in hydrogen (BEMIP Hydrogen),” Gaz-System’s press release said.
European gas transmission system operators Gasgrid Finland (Finland), Elering (Estonia), Conexus Baltic Grid (Latvia), Amber Grid (Lithuania), Gaz-System (Poland) and Ontras (Germany) have signed a cooperation agreement on the development of hydrogen infrastructure from Finland through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to Germany to meet the REPowerUE 2030 targets.
„The operators have initiated a project called the Nordic-Baltic hydrogen Corridor, which will strengthen the energy security of the region, reduce dependence on imported energy from fossil fuels and will play an important role in decarbonizing the societies and energy-intensive industries located along the corridor. The project also has significant potential to contribute to the EU’s greenhouse gas emission reduction target by replacing the current fossil fuel – based production and use of fossil fuels in industry, transport, electricity and heating sectors,” Gaz-System stated on the company website.
The implementation of hydrogen projects is an opportunity to raise EU funds for the transformation of gas transmission networks.
Gaz-System / Wojciech Jakóbik