Hydrogen pipeline to link Africa and Europe, plan signed by five countries
Government representatives from Algeria, Austria, Italy, Germany and Tunisia have signed a joint letter of intent to build a hydrogen pipeline linking southern Europe with North Africa. The pipeline would give Europe access to Africa’s vast potential for hydrogen production.
At a meeting in Rome, also attended by representatives from Switzerland and the European Commission, the five countries agreed on plans to build a hydrogen pipeline more than 3 500 kilometres long. The pipeline is expected to transport more than 163 TWh of gas a year, of which 55 TWh would go to Germany.
“The Southern Hydrogen Corridor is one of the largest and most important renewable energy projects of our time. With today’s joint declaration of intent, we are strengthening this new bridge between North Africa and Europe,” said Philip Nimmermann, State Secretary at Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs.
Up to two-thirds of the European section of the new transport corridor could be built by repurposing existing gas pipelines. Several hydrogen infrastructure projects along the corridor from Sicily to Bavaria have already been approved by the EU as so-called Projects of Common Interest.
Tunisia has signed ten letters of intent to implement hydrogen projects, while Algeria has announced the development of a large-scale hydrogen production project involving companies from Austria, Germany and Italy. The pipeline will give Germany and other EU countries access to Africa’s vast potential for producing renewable gas, Nimmermann said.
“German companies can be important partners and support Algeria and Tunisia in diversifying their local economies and adapting them to the future with new jobs,” Nimmermann added.
The next step is to develop more detailed plans for the pipeline to North Africa—a project that the BMWK is actively supporting through its bilateral hydrogen working group with Algeria and close cooperation with German and local institutions in Algeria and Tunisia.
Translation disclaimer
This article is a machine translation of the Czech original and has not yet been fully reviewed. In case of any doubt, please refer to the Czech version.
