Gassco, Gascade team up to develop North Sea hydrogen pipeline transport

Gassco AS and Gascade Gastransport GMBH last week signed an MOU to transport hydrogen via pipeline in the North Sea. The companies aim to be shipping hydrogen from Norway to Germany by 2030.

Gassco is developing the transport infrastructure for exporting hydrogen produced in Norway. Gascade, meanwhile, is developing the AquaDuctus offshore hydrogen pipeline in the German North Sea to deliver hydrogen to Germany.

AquaDuctus will make landfall near Wilhelmshaven, Germany, from which an onshore pipeline will continue to Bunde at the German-Dutch border, interconnecting with Europe’s downstream hydrogen network. In addition to connecting with offshore hydrogen pipelines, AquaDuctus will be able to connect to green hydrogen production sites (e.g., offshore wind) along its route.

Among the planned hydrogen wind farm sites expected to be connected is 1-Gw SEN-1 in the German exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in northwest Helgoland. The agreement with Gassco marks the formalization of plans to extend AquaDuctus to the edges of the German EEZ to both connect future hydrogen wind farm sites and adjacent national offshore hydrogen infrastructure from Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK.

“We are strengthening the supply side and answering the question of where the hydrogen demanded for the energy transition should come from – both in substantial quantities and on competitive conditions,” said Gascade managing director Christoph von dem Bussche.

AquaDuctus has been awarded both Important Projects of Common European Interest and Project of Common Interest status by the European Union Commission, enabling state funding. AquaDuctus is also part of the draft German hydrogen core network. Gascade is awaiting formal confirmation from national authorities to begin early-works activity.