Hydrogen core network2 Sep 2025 08:45
From Linkedin - Dr.Ingo Benecke (Translated from German)
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ingo-benecke_wasserstoffkernnetz-hydrogencorenetwork-hydrogen-activity-7367241527552626690-meGF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEkVmEBjNnbrZ4ELTSoemDjmg5c3rjXmsY
The Federal Network Agency has set the nationwide uniform ramp-up fee for the hydrogen core network at €25/kWh/h/a. This means that 25 euros will be due per kilowatt hour of hydrogen fed into or withdrawn every hour over a year – a clear step that now creates planning security.
Converted to kilograms of H₂, this corresponds to around €0.75/kg H₂ – with a lower calorific value of around 33.33 kWh/kg.
The hydrogen core network – an ambitious infrastructure project – comprises around 9,040 kilometres of pipeline, of which around 60% will be converted from existing natural gas pipelines and the remaining 40% will be newly built. The investment costs are around 18.9 billion euros.
From my experience, it is a very decisive moment: the long-discussed hydrogen infrastructure is now getting a concrete pricing system and thus a foundation. Planning security is not a luxury – it is the basis for decision-making for industry, logistics and politics. What industry can do that?
Of course, the development remains challenging. International competition for green hydrogen is growing – North Africa and Australia are ambitious. In Germany, grid expansion could be delayed. High investment hurdles remain. But the benefits are obvious: Germany is becoming the European hydrogen hub, creating industrial transformation and creating new options for export, storage and energy supply.
An astonishing cost contrast shows that hydrogen pipelines cost around €2 million per km on average. In comparison, the SuedLink electric north-south route costs around €14 million – almost seven times as much and clearly more technically complex with high-voltage, underground cables and converters.
The core grid is not a panacea – technical challenges, market uncertainties and scarce production volumes remain real. But it is a necessary foundation. If we pick up the pace now, forge partnerships and focus on investing in efficiency, we will secure the industrial future. Those who get in early will benefit decisively.
What counts now is to build courageously, maintain practical relevance, strengthen supply chains – and at the same time install enough electrolyzers so that the grid not only has pipelines, but also the green hydrogen that it is supposed to transport.
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