Hydrogen Transport
With hydrogen for the energy transition
Hydrogen is a climate-neutral energy source that is of great importance for achieving a sustainable energy system. In order for hydrogen to be used across the board and efficiently, an appropriate hydrogen transport infrastructure must be created. As Austrian market and distribution area manager, AGGM is responsible for planning the future hydrogen network in Austria. As a first step, H2-Roadmap for Austria was created.
Hydrogen – The renewable gas
Climate-neutral, green hydrogen is produced from renewable electricity through electrolysis. Hydrogen (H2) is an odorless, non-toxic gas and has a calorific value of 3.54 kWh/Nm3. There are no CO2 emissions when using hydrogen. Hydrogen can be stored reliably and in large quantities in underground storage facilities. Hydrogen can be transported via the existing gas network. To achieve this, existing gas pipes have to be repurposed and only some new pipes have to be built.
How can Hydrogen be transported?
Gaseous hydrogen can be transported in pipelines, just like natural gas. An alternative option for transporting hydrogen is to transport liquid hydrogen by train, truck or ship. Hydrogen can also be methanized for transport. Hydrogen is chemically converted into methane with carbon dioxide (CO2). The methanized hydrogen can be transported indefinitely in the existing gas network. However, pure hydrogen is then no longer available.
There are two ways hydrogen can be transported in the gas network:
- Pure hydrogen: Pure hydrogen can be transported with our own hydrogen transport infrastructure.
- Hydrogen blending: Hydrogen is fed into the existing gas network through limited admixture with methane.
Establishing your own infrastructure for hydrogen transport is crucial for a climate-neutral energy system. This is what the AGGM ONE100 study says. The Austrian gas network has a high transport capacity and therefore potential for the creation of its own hydrogen transport infrastructure. For the future parallel transport of hydrogen and biomethane, only 300 km of new gas pipelines need to be built. The rest can be managed by repurposing 1,400 km of existing lines.
H2 Roadmap
A hydrogen roadmap for Austria – H2 demand and infrastructure until 2050.
See more
First steps for hydrogen transport
The following projects lay the foundation for hydrogen transport in Austria. These should be realized by 2030 and a connection to the European hydrogen network (European Hydrogen Backbone). The projects were submitted at European level as Projects of Common Interest (PCI) and approved by E-Control as planning projects.
H2 Collector East
A groundbreaking planning project for future hydrogen transport in Austria is the H2 Collector East. A 100% H2-ready gas pipeline is to be built in eastern Austria - partly by adapting existing infrastructure. From 2026, renewable hydrogen will be transported from northern Burgenland to Lower Austria and Vienna.
The hydrogen comes from what will be Austria's largest electrolysis plant, PanHy (Pannonian Green Hydrogen). PanHy is a project by Burgenland Energie and Verbund. This is the largest planned Austrian electrolysis plant - with 60 MW in the first expansion stage and 300 MW in the final expansion. There are further promising locations for additional electrolysis systems at seven substations along the future route of the H2 Collector East. The implementation of the H2 Collector East enables the harvest of a significant amount of additional wind and solar energy.
The planning steps by Netz Burgenland, Netz Niederösterreich, Wiener Netze and Gas Connect Austria for the construction of the H2 Collector East were approved by E-Control.
H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West
In this Gas Connect Austria project, the West Austria gas pipeline (WAG) and the Penta-West pipeline (PW) are to be supplemented by a parallel line for the transport of hydrogen. This will allow hydrogen to be transported safely to Austria and other European countries in the future.
H2 Backbone Murfeld
Gas Connect Austria is planning to build a 26.1 km long hydrogen pipeline parallel to the south-east pipeline (SOL). This is intended to enable cross-border hydrogen transport between Austria and Slovenia.
H2 Readiness of the TAG pipeline system
One of the three methane pipelines of the existing Trans Austria Gasleitung (TAG) pipeline system will be converted into a hydrogen pipeline. This is also intended to create a hydrogen transport corridor between Austria and the neighboring countries Italy and Slovakia.
