Today in Copenhagen, Energinet and Gasunie agreed  on the next steps for the development of the Danish-German hydrogen network as part of a co-operation agreement. The aim is to develop a realisation path that makes the large quantities of green hydrogen produced in Denmark available for the German market.

From 2028, a cross-border transmission connection between Denmark and Germany will enable the transport of green hydrogen. To this end, the two companies want to jointly develop the hydrogen network between Western Denmark and Northern Germany.  In doing so, they are contributing to the Danish and German energy strategy agreed between the Danish and German governments in March 2023.

The purpose of this Cooperation Agreement is to establish a formal framework, ensuring a close alignment between both companies during the planning phases of the hydrogen infrastructure projects Danish Backbone West (in Denmark) and Hyperlink 3 (in Germany) with the aim of enabling coordinated investment decisions on both sides of the border.

Energinet and Gasunie aim to provide an open access, cross-border interconnection between hydrogen production, storage and consumption in accordance with the upcoming European legal framework. It offers the transport route for all involved stakeholders and market participants to market and sell their products or to cover their hydrogen demands.

The considered cross-border network is expected to reach from the hydrogen underground storage in Lille Torup in north of Denmark to Heidenau south of Hamburg with a total length of approximately 550 km.  

Danish Backbone West and Hyperlink 3

Danish Backbone West is the first large scale hydrogen pipeline project being developed by Energinet in Denmark – a large scale hydrogen transport system connecting the underground storage facility in Lille Torup, large scale future hydrogen production sites with a hydrogen interconnection point at the border to Germany in Ellund.

The Danish Backbone West will become an integral part of the European Hydrogen Backbone. The Danish Backbone West may in the future connect to hydrogen distribution systems in Denmark and offshore hydrogen pipelines to Denmark or to other North European countries.

The Danish Backbone West is expected to be realized through a combination of conversion of an existing natural gas transmission pipeline and new hydrogen pipelines. To reach high capacity in the future it is the plan to install compression. The project is planned to be realized between 2028-2030. 

Hyperlink 3 is part of the Hyperlink project family – a hydrogen transport system in the North-West of Germany, developed by Gasunie, reaching from interconnection point Ellund to Heidenau station south of Hamburg. In Heidenau the cross-border network will be connected to the remaining Hyperlink system of Gasunie.

Hyperlink is envisaged to be part of of the national German Hydrogen Network (Core Grid) and European Hydrogen Backbone, providing access to the German production and consumption sites. After completion of the project Hyperlink will connect the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark as well as provide access to the offshore hydrogen pipelines and hydrogen receiving terminals.

The Hyperlink system is planned to be realized largely through the conversion of existing natural gas transmission pipelines to transport hydrogen and, where necessary, the construction of new pipelines to fill in remaining gaps. Hyperlink is planned to be realized in several subprojects between the years 2026 and 2028.

Green exporting powerhouse

Thomas Egebo, Energinet CEO:

“In Denmark, the ambition is set to become a green exporting powerhouse and thus playing a vital role in the European energy transition. The timely development of cross-border hydrogen infrastructure between Denmark and Germany is essential to unlock the potential, and we see this agreement with Gasunie Deutschland as a next natural step in realizing the ambitions”

Britta van Boven, Managing Director, Gasunie Deutschland:

“With our cooperation, we are creating a high-performance hydrogen import highway to connect the upcoming demand and supply for this climate-friendly energy source. I look forward to working with Energinet to develop step by step the future energy system on the basis of decades of trusting cooperation.””