The construction of a Southern Hydrogen Corridor in Europe has the political support of the Ministries of Energy of Italy, Austria and Germany.
Renewable hydrogen within reach: SoutH2 corridor facilitates access to production sites in North Africa
The gas infrastructure operators Snam in Italy, Trans Austria Gasleitung (TAG) and Gas Connect Austria (GCA) in Austria, and bayernets in Germany have formed a partnership to develop the SoutH2 corridor. Each has individually submitted applications for projects of common interest (PCI) in accordance with the European Commission’s TEN-E regulation in December 2022.
The Southern Hydrogen Corridor, also known as the SoutH2 Corridor, is a dedicated 3,300 km pipeline corridor that is part of the European Hydrogen Backbone. Its development will ensure the security of hydrogen supply through and is crucial to the creation of an interconnected and diverse hydrogen backbone.
The initiative relies on the use of existing midstream transportation infrastructure repurposed to carry hydrogen, with the inclusion of some new dedicated infrastructure if necessary.A large proportion of repurposed pipelines (> 70%) will allow cost-effective transportation of hydrogen gas, while access to favorable renewable hydrogen production sites (wind and solar) in North Africa will allow competitive production, beneficial to the end user.
Cross-border decarbonization: individual projects in the SoutH2 corridor
In addition, with a hydrogen import capacity of over 4 million tons per year from North Africa, the corridor could supply 40% of REPowerEU’s import target. The SoutH2 corridor, which is expected to be fully operational by 2030, includes the following individual projects: “Italian H2 Backbone” promoted by Snam Rete Gas; “H2 Readiness of the TAG pipeline system” promoted by Trans Austria Gasleitung GmbH; “H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West” promoted by Gas Connect Austria GmbH; and “HyPipe Bavaria – The Hydrogen Hub” promoted by bayernets GmbH.
It would then be transported north, serving hard-to-decarbonize demand hubs in Italy (such as Augusta, Taranto and northern Italy), Austria (such as Styria, Vienna and Linz) and Germany (such as Burghausen and Ingolstadt). It provides Central Europe with a significant amount of affordable energy by unlocking very low cost green hydrogen with considerable potential. It serves the largest hydrogen demand centers and allows for diversification of import routes.
In sum, the Southern Hydrogen Corridor represents a significant step forward in building a greener and more sustainable Europe by promoting the supply of renewable hydrogen across the continent. It is a promising project that paves the way for a cleaner and more resilient energy future for Europe and beyond.
