German government to present plans for 'hydrogen highways' by summer

The German government and the country's gas network operators are drawing up detailed plans for the development of a national hydrogen network. The final documents are expected to be published by summer, according to Economy Minister Robert Habeck. The news was reported by international outlet Clean Energy Wire.

Hydrogen is an important part of the strategy for achieving Germany's and, by extension, Europe's climate targets: both as a means of storing surplus electricity generated from renewable energy sources and as a way to decarbonize sectors where switching to renewables is not easy, such as heavy industry or aviation.

The German government is therefore working intensively with the country's gas network operators on plans to build a national hydrogen network, which Economy Minister and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck calls "hydrogen highways".

According to Habeck, a number of issues have yet to be decided, including who will bear the cost of building this infrastructure. One challenge facing gas network operators is that they are expected to build robust infrastructure for a fuel that is not yet available in significant quantities. State support is also being considered to help network operators finance these projects.

In addition to the plan to build "hydrogen highways", the German Ministry of Economic Affairs is expected to submit a bill by the end of this year aimed at accelerating the development of hydrogen use, including infrastructure for imports and domestic production.

Work is also continuing on an update to Germany's hydrogen strategy, which is expected to set higher targets in this area and provide more information about planned hydrogen imports, which will be essential to meeting the expected sharp increase in demand.