Gas pipeline operator OGE: Germany must speed up review of its hydrogen strategy

Germany must speed up its review of the hydrogen strategy, according to the country’s largest gas pipeline operator, Open Grid Europe (OGE), so that individual pipeline operators can make the necessary investments by the end of this decade. Reuters reported.

Under Germany’s hydrogen strategy, presented in mid-2020, the country is to build electrolyzers with a total capacity of 5 GW to produce so-called green hydrogen by 2030, followed by a further 5 GW by 2040. Domestic hydrogen production is intended to complement imports of the commodity from abroad.

The planned update to the hydrogen strategy, which is also expected to establish a new hydrogen network operator in which the German state would hold a stake, was due to be published by the end of January, according to information published in December by German newspaper Die Welt.

The process has nevertheless been delayed, drawing criticism from OGE, Germany’s largest gas transmission system operator. OGE chief executive Joerg Bergmann says the review of the hydrogen strategy needs to be completed, ideally by the end of the first quarter of this year.