Plans for a pipeline that could transport up to 1mn tonnes of green hydrogen annually are set to progress, after GASCADE, Gasunie, RWE and Shell signed a declaration of intent.
On 26 April, the companies announced their intention to further intensify collaboration on the AquaDuctus project, a pipeline that will transport green hydrogen from the North Sea directly to Europe. It is part of the AquaVentus initiative, which is aiming to install 10GW of electrolysis capacity for green hydrogen production between Heligoland and the Dogger sand bank. Through dovetailed sub-projects, demand, generation and transport of hydrogen will be synchronised, allowing for a “swift market ramp-up”.
AquaDuctus is the vision for the first German offshore hydrogen pipeline and, once the generation plants are constructed, could transport as much as 1mn tonnes of green hydrogen a year from 2035 onwards. This would make a significant contribution towards efforts to decarbonise the energy supply, both in Germany and Europe, marking a key milestone in implementing the German and European hydrogen strategies.
The project also offers clear economic advantages, such as the fact it will replace five High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission systems that would have had to have been built. The developers stressed it is “by far” the most cost-effective option for transporting large volumes of energy over distances of more than 400km, with attentions now turning to a detailed feasibility study as a first step for the project.
