Amber Grid, on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor project partners has launched an international tender for a pre-feasibility study. This is another important step in the development of Europe’s hydrogen infrastructure, following the signing of a cooperation agreement between transmission system operators of six European Union countries on the implementation of a cross-border project, the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, last December.
The European gas transmission system operators Gasgrid Finland (Finand), Elering (Estonia), Conexus Baltic Grid (Latvia), Amber Grid (Lithuania), GAZ-SYSTEM (Poland) and ONTRAS (Germany) are developing a hydrogen supply infrastructure from Finland through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to Germany - the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor. The aim of the project is to connect the green energy production regions in Northern Europe with the main consumption centres in Central Europe. The project is expected to be completed by 2030.
“The pre-feasibility study, the initial results whereof should be available by the end of this year, will analyse European and regional energy policies and provide specific answers on the potential for green and low-carbon hydrogen production and consumption. The study will also make recommendations on project scope, possible pipeline routing, financing, timing and risk management. Also, possible location of storage will be investigated. The results of the study will be of key importance for the region as a whole, which is currently actively seeking opportunities to develop a hydrogen ecosystem from Finland through the Baltic States to Central Europe,” said Nemunas Biknius, CEO of Amber Grid, the Lithuanian gas transmission system operator.
Based on the recommendations of the Hydrogen Corridor pre-feasibility Study, a decision will be taken on the further development of the project. It is now assessed that the Hydrogen Corridor may well create significant opportunities for the development of energy and related ecosystems. It will stimulate the demand for and development of green electricity, accelerate the development of the hydrogen economy and will therefore contribute to the European climate targets. It also creates the conditions for investment in industrial and technological innovation, reduce the cost of energy transport, create jobs and generate additional revenue for countries.
Hydrogen is expected to become one of the main energy carriers in Europe as the EU Member States undergo dynamic changes linked to energy transformation and economic decarbonisation. It will strengthen the EU's energy security, reduce dependence on imported fossil energy and play an important role in reducing the dependence of energy-intensive European industries on imported fossil fuels. In addition, the project will make a significant contribution to the EU’s greenhouse gas emission reduction target by helping to replace the use of fossil fuels in the industrial, transport and energy sectors with green and low-carbon hydrogen, produced from electricity.
The Figure below illustrates the planned Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor:
