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Construction and conversion of the infrastructure for H2 distribution

By Michael Nallinger

January 13, 2025

Image titel: Avacon has successfully converted small parts of its gas network to hydrogen

Sources: Avacon

Construction and conversion of the infrastructure for H2 distribution

“Hydrogen can come, the gas distribution network is ready”

There is extensive demand for hydrogen in both municipalities and industry. In this environment, plans for implementing these market requirements are now becoming more concrete. The recent decision to set up an H2 core network (see p. 18) is seen as the initial spark for this. In view of the supply situation, however, it is clear that the focus must increasingly be on the distribution network, which was also made clear at the DVGW Congress.

“The pace of transformation with the aim of accelerating the hydrogen ramp-up must be maintained, if not increased,” emphasized Prof. Dr. Gerald Linke at the DVGW Congress in Berlin in mid-September 2024. The Chairman of the Board of the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water also called for further regulatory measures that go beyond the political decisions that have already been made, such as the Hydrogen Acceleration Act, the import strategy and the hydrogen core network.

Stefan Dohler takes a similar view. The President of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) and Chairman of the Board of Management of EWE AG in Oldenburg emphasized the spirit of optimism with regard to the expansion of electrolysis capacities that has begun and the climate protection agreements for industry that were launched last summer: “We have to keep at it and must not lose momentum.” Dohler has observed a very high demand for hydrogen in EWE’s supply area.


Prof. Linke, DVGW: “In order to accelerate the hydrogen ramp-up in Germany, the focus in the expansion of hydrogen infrastructures must be placed more on the distribution networks.”
Source: Bildschön GmbH/Vollmeyer

Jörg Höhler, DVGW President and CEO of ESWE Versorgung in Wiesbaden, shares this view: “We have to keep the pressure on.” Höhler favors the broadest possible approach. It is not a question of deciding on electricity or hydrogen in the energy supply; no, you need both. Together with the energy supply companies Mainova and Entega, ESWE is working on a feasibility study for the development of a hydrogen infrastructure in the Rhine-Main region – a project that has since been awarded the New Gases Innovation Prize. However, Höhler is also calling for clear guidelines and support for the distribution network operators in converting the gas networks to hydrogen.

Portfolio of CO2-free energy sources needed
This appeal appears to have found a sympathetic ear at the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA). “The all-electric world is an economically inefficient path. We therefore need a portfolio of CO2-free energy sources,” stated Dr. Markus Doll at the event. For the Head of Systems and Grid Operation at the BNetzA, it is clear that a common target picture is required for consistent planning of the respective infrastructures. The goal must be integrated grid development across all energy sources, emphasized Doll in Berlin.

He sees the decision to build the approximately 9,000 km long H2 core network as the initial spark to solve the hydrogen sector’s chicken-and-egg problem. This project, which has now been approved by the BNetzA, is seen by the Bonn-based authority as the “basis and transition to the cyclical process of network development planning for hydrogen/natural gas.” For BNetzA expert Doll, the next steps are clear: appropriate infrastructure is needed for CO2-free energy sources. According to Doll, there are two prerequisites for feeding hydrogen into the grids. On the one hand, its use makes sense where it is economically efficient and, on the other, where no other decarbonization alternatives are available. In Doll’s opinion, biomethane plays a role in the concert of climate-neutral gases, especially at regional level.

With regard to the required storage facilities, in particular the cavern storage facilities suitable for hydrogen, he hopes that these will develop “from the market”. However, he promised that the regulatory authority would take this into account in the network development plan (NDP).

Bringing hydrogen to the surface
Dr. Thomas Gößmann describes it as a mammoth project to maintain the gas infrastructure and develop the hydrogen infrastructure at the same time. At the event in Berlin, the head of Thyssengas used the example of North Rhine-Westphalia to explain how hydrogen can be rolled out across the country. To this end, a total of six regional clusters are to be developed as potential regions along the main lines of the core network: Cologne, Ruhr region, Middle Lower Rhine, Lower Rhine, Bentheim-Westmünsterland and Münster-Hamm. Thyssengas believes that these key regions are particularly suitable as nuclei for the development of an integrated H2 infrastructure. According to Gößmann, great attention should also be paid to the development of cross-border capacities. This would enable a broad diversification of supply sources.

Schwaben Netz is also already in the middle of developing a changeover strategy. Specifically, the activities are divided into three major projects. Project 1 deals with the gas grid transformation plan. Where are the connection points to the H2 core network? Where and when will the switch to hydrogen take place? These are the questions that are being investigated. Another project is target grid planning: the H2 requirements of large anchor customers in the grid area and grid areas that can be transformed cost-effectively are the challenges that the grid operator is addressing there. And the third project is a pilot project for the supply of hydrogen. Specifically, it involves an area with several residential units that is to be supplied with hydrogen from a chlor-alkali electrolysis plant in an industrial park.

These activities are already attracting serious interest. The Technical Managing Director of Schwaben Netz, René Schoof, reports “significant” hydrogen demand from industry and municipalities in Bavarian Swabia with a view to achieving the 2030 climate targets. A joint web query by Bayernets, Schwaben Netz and the Swabian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Schwaben) produced concrete figures. A total H2 demand with a capacity of 1,903 MW was reported for the year 2030. The Managing Director is certain that pure electrification of the energy supply would be too much for many. “We must also give small and medium-sized companies the chance to find the right solution for them,” emphasized Schoof in Berlin.

Great support for conversion to hydrogen
This year’s Gas Network Transformation Plan (GTP) also shows that gas network operators are working on implementation scenarios on a broad scale. This is the central planning instrument for the transformation of gas distribution grids towards climate neutrality. Following its launch in 2022, the number of participating gas distribution system operators rose to 252 in the third planning year. The GTP now covers gas pipelines with a total length of 450,000 km and reaches 381 out of 401 German districts.

   

As part of the gas grid transformation plan (GTP), the grid operators analyze their customers’ requirements up to the year 2045
Source: GTP 2024, DVGW/VKU)

The trend is clear: the majority of the approximately 1,100 municipalities supplied by the GTP participants plan to use climate-neutral gases in both industry and private households in the long term. (Only two percent of the municipalities were against the use in industry, seven percent rejected such use for private households). And two thirds of the more than 3,500 industrial and commercial customers surveyed also see a future need for hydrogen, with over 80 percent of large customers even expecting 10 million kWh or more each by 2030.

“Extensive studies by the DVGW and its institutes show that the German gas distribution networks can be technically upgraded for the safe distribution of hydrogen at comparatively low economic cost. This must be tackled now,” demands DVGW head Linke. For the technical conversion, the DVGW offers VerifHy, the central platform for quickly and conveniently checking the hydrogen suitability of gas networks and the products, components and materials used. Reliable information on H2 readiness can be called up at the touch of a button. VerifHy supports gas network operators in checking the suitability of their infrastructures for hydrogen. The database is thus set to become the central accelerator for the H2 network conversion.

Unproblematic changeover at Avacon
Avacon Netz has proven that a changeover is also possible in practice (see H2-international, Oct. 2022). Torsten Lotze from Asset Management Gas/Hydrogen refers to eight successful pilot projects with PE and steel networks as part of the DVGW project group “Hydrogen in gas distribution.” The network operators did not replace any components based on the analyses carried out in advance. “The above-ground inspection of underground pipelines before and after the conversion confirmed the technical tightness in each case,” reports Lotze. No technical anomalies occurred during operation.

An integrity assessment was carried out in advance in accordance with DVGW data sheets G407 (conversion of steel pipes up to 16 bar operating pressure) and G408 (for PE pipes up to 16 bar operating pressure). The materials are “safe.” Nothing was found in the networks that was actually critical, emphasizes Manager Lotze.

With this knowledge, they are already in a position to take the next steps. “We can already evaluate grids and draw up a conversion roadmap,” summarizes the Avacon employee. This plan envisages five concrete steps:

– Inventory and documentation of the current network structure, materials and operating conditions
– Mesh analysis, material analysis and evaluation of hydrogen resistance
– Replacement measures for incomplete documentation
– Technical adaptations
– Conversion

On this basis, the grid operator has developed the Avacon gas grid transformation factor (GTF). Specifically, this assesses how well a gas network or individual components can be transferred to a future decarbonized energy system. In the integrity assessment, an H2 assessment as well as an assessment of safety, condition and data inventory are each presented as a key figure. Lotze explains that the GTF can be used to immediately determine where the overall grid stands and where individual local sections stand. In view of these findings and the progress made, the Avacon expert’s conclusion is not surprising: “Hydrogen can come, the gas distribution network is ready.”


It is clear that the H2 core network does not reach all industrial and commercial gas consumers with process heat requirements.
Source: Study Process heat – where does the energy come from? DVGW, DBI, DMT

Distribution grid of particular importance
Industrial customers are obviously also ready: According to the H2 market index (see info box), 76% of market players rate the importance of climate-neutral hydrogen for the future energy supply in Germany as high or very high. An important area of application there is process heat with temperatures between 100 and 1,500 degrees Celsius. This demand has amounted to around 200 TWh in recent years. This corresponds to almost a tenth of the final energy demand (reference year: 2020) of 2,318 TWh and a fifth of the gas demand in Germany.

A study commissioned by the DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water) analyzed the supply situation at over 5,600 industrial sites. The result shows the importance of the distribution network: 27 percent of the sites surveyed are less than one kilometer away from the planned H2 core network and could be supplied directly via it. However, 78 percent of the gas demand for process heat will arise at a distance of more than one kilometer from this network. A hydrogen-capable distribution network is therefore required to supply these locations. “In order to accelerate the hydrogen ramp-up in Germany, the expansion of hydrogen infrastructures must focus more on the distribution grids. They are of particular importance,” says DVGW head Linke, summing up the situation.

The H2 market index – barometer for the market ramp-up
The H2 market index serves to determine the perception of market players regarding the development of a hydrogen market in Germany. The objectives are to map the perceptions of various stakeholders, to identify challenges and potential problem areas and to record relevant indicators for measuring the progress of the hydrogen market ramp-up. The H2 market index covers the four areas of innovation environment, political and regulatory framework, infrastructure expansion and market development. The index results are mapped on a scale from 0 (negative) to 100 (positive).

An online survey of stakeholders in the hydrogen economy was conducted to determine the H2 Market Index 2024. A total of 311 index-relevant responses were included in the evaluation. The survey was conducted by the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne gGmbH (EWI) on behalf of the DVGW, the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the German Steel Federation (WV Stahl).

Kategorien: Market | Networks | News
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