UK and Germany Hydrogen Collaboration update
The UK Government’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the German Federal Government Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK) have published their UK-Germany joint study on the trade of hydrogen which was commissioned by the UK-Germany Hydrogen Partnership. This joint study by Arup, Dena and Adelphi outlines the feasibility of and steps needed for potential future pipeline-based hydrogen trade between the UK and Germany.
As the hydrogen markets develop in the UK and Germany, there is an opportunity to realise pipeline-based hydrogen trade between the two countries. The Base Case for this study is a new build pipeline and a review has been carried out for routeing pipelines from the UK to join the AquaDuctus Offshore Pipeline System.
Fig 2. Potential interconnector pipelines from a number of UK east coast landfall sites.
This joint study provides a basis for the UK and German governments to consider the potential for a future hydrogen interconnector to facilitate trade of hydrogen between the two countries. As the respective hydrogen markets develop, there is a significant opportunity to establish pipeline-based hydrogen trade between these two countries.
Through regulations, business models and commercial arrangements analyses, as well as a high-level infrastructure assessment, this study by Arup, Dena and Adelphi highlights the key activities necessary to support the development of the international hydrogen trade market.
The study identifies four main priorities, as set out below, with a preliminary focus on the following areas:
- Developing a delivery plan for the minimum regulatory alignment needed to enable an interconnector.
- Determining the best mechanism to support the convening of the market.
- Performing a high-level techno-economic deliverability assessment of routing options.
- Carrying out stakeholder engagement across the hydrogen value chain.
These four focus areas will facilitate the establishment of international market, particularly between the respective domestic markets in the UK and Germany. To this end, the study outlines a series of ‘delivery enablers’ and proposes preliminary focus areas to initiate them. Activities include the development of onshore networks, the alignment of technical requirements for the trading of the hydrogen molecule, and supporting the convening of the market to secure agreements between producers and offtakers.
The Base Case for this study is a new build pipeline and a review has been carried out for routeing pipelines from the UK to join the AquaDuctus Offshore Pipeline System as well as direct connection to Germany, Belgium and Netherlands. Two UK locations have been used in this study to demonstrate the pipeline route; Teesside and St. Fergus. Routeing options can be explored as the study progresses with integration of NZTC and other pipeline studies to be included. The indicative routes from St Fergus and Teesside are shown below:
Fig 32. Potential Pipeline Routes from UK to AquaDuctus Offshore Pipeline System.
These routes show the approximate lengths of pipeline required and the relative complexity of routeing through the different North Sea constraints. It should be noted that a selection for the potential UK export site location has not been confirmed and these locations are used as an example. The route alignment shows that the approximate pipeline lengths are:
- St. Fergus to AquaDuctus Section 2 entry (Point 2), 432 km;
- Teesside to AquaDuctus Section 2 entry (Point 2), 391 km; and
- Teesside to AquaDuctus Section 1 entry (Point 1), 429 km.
The pipeline route shown above from St. Fergus is shown to be technically feasible, with careful consideration required if the Section 2 extension of AquaDuctus does not materialise, of how the route would be extended to the Section 1 entry tie-in point as this will route through the existing protected areas. Direct routing from the east coast of England to the assumed Section 1 AquaDuctus entry point will be challenging but feasible due to the number of constraints along the proposed routes. It appears to be less challenging (from a constraints perspective) to route towards the north and tie-in at the proposed Section 2 entry point avoiding the protected areas directly to the east of Teesside.
This study was commissioned by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK) under the ‘UK-Germany Hydrogen Partnership’.
Link to download report, 185 pages 8MB: https://www.arup.com/insights/
