GRTgaz launches RHYn, second hydrogen transport network project in France.
At the tri-national conference “Green hydrogen: flagship projects and prospects in the Upper Rhine” on 5 April 2022 in Basel, GRTgaz announced the launch of a second project to convert the natural gas transmission network to hydrogen.
Located in Alsace and called RHYn (Rhine HYdrogen Network), this project aims to promote the hydrogen ecosystem of the Upper Rhine by connecting by 2028 the Dessenheim area with the Chalampé-Ottmarsheim industrial zone, as well as the Mulhouse agglomeration for its mobility needs.
In the following phases, this network will be able to extend south to Basel in order to supply the airport area and north to Marckolsheim to serve its industrial sites.
In line with its commitment to the energy transition, with the objective of environmental and economic performance, GRTgaz plans to maximize the reuse of existing natural gas pipelines: out of a total of 100 km of hydrogen network, at least 60 km will come from converted pipelines.
The pipeline will have the capacity to transport 125,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year, equivalent to the production of 900 MW of electrolysis and could reduce carbon emissions by up to 1 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
The RHYn project contributes to the deployment of energy transition policies in the Grand Est region and to strengthening its economic and industrial attractiveness.
It brings new opportunities for the decarbonization of local industry and paves the way for the effective deployment of all modes of green mobility as envisaged by the Hydrogen Strategy for the Grand Est.
RHYn is part of the vision of the European Hydrogen Backbone1, the European backbone aimed at ensuring security of supply for hydrogen consumers and the creation of a common European market.
In this context, GRTgaz will study possible interconnections with the regions of Baden–Württemberg in Germany and Basel in Switzerland.
GRTgaz is fully involved in the emergence of a future hydrogen market. In France, the company foresees the development of a network of about 1,000 km of hydrogen by 2030, on the one hand, through new pipelines, and on the other hand, through the conversion of part of the current gas network.
The most advanced project, mosaHYc, aims to develop the first European hydrogen network through the conversion of gas pipelines between the Moselle, Saarland and Luxembourg.
1 European Hydrogen Backbone or European hydrogen backbone project bringing together 23 gas transmission system operators (TSOs) from 21 European countries: the latest report published in this context confirms the possibility of a pan-European hydrogen infrastructure based in particular on existing converted gas infrastructures.
This study presents a network of hydrogen pipelines of nearly 40,000 km by 2040.
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GRTgaz launches RHYn, April 5, 2022
