Nowega puts first section of its hydrogen network into operation
Münster, Nordhorn, March 27, 2025.
With 55 kilometers of hydrogen pipelines, the long-distance transmission system operator Nowega GmbH is commissioning the first section of its hydrogen network. Initial hydrogen filling of the pipeline between Lingen and Bad Bentheim has begun in Nordhorn. The section in southwest Lower Saxony is the first part of the hydrogen core network and consists of 95 percent of existing pipelines that will be converted to transport hydrogen. As part of the GET H2 network, the conversion of the pipelines is supported by funds from the German federal government and the state of Lower Saxony as part of the IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) program.
Frank Doods, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Construction and Digitalization of the State of Lower Saxony, at the event, said:
A sustainable hydrogen economy will only succeed if we convert and build the necessary pipelines locally with a view to the core hydrogen network,
“Today is a special day for the hydrogen ramp-up in Lower Saxony and especially for Nowega GmbH, which is embarking on a path to the future with this project. This shows that progress is being made.”
The network section from Lingen to Bad Bentheim creates important connectivity options for producers and users of climate-friendly hydrogen.
Nowega Managing Director Frank Heunemann, said:
With commissioning, we are providing the first transport capacities for the early phase of the hydrogen economy,
“The focus on using existing pipelines shows how we can implement the entry into hydrogen transport cost-efficiently and quickly.”
In the first step of commissioning, the network section will be filled with a total of 28,500 cubic meters of hydrogen, bringing it to a pressure level of 3 bar.
Dennis Hoeveler, Head of Technology at Nowega, explained:
Overall, this was an excellent job by the entire project team. We are now initially filling the system with hydrogen and will be ready for operation by mid-April. Once the system has been brought up to operating pressure, we can then begin the first transports,
The initial filling will take place using hydrogen delivered by trailer.
The first central connection to Nowega’s hydrogen network is RWE Generation’s 300 MW electrolysis plant in Lingen, which is scheduled to begin producing green hydrogen from renewable electricity this year.
Sopna Sury, COO Hydrogen at RWE Generation, said:
The filling of Nowega’s first network section is excellent news for RWE,
“Because it makes the expansion of Germany’s core hydrogen network concrete. At the same time, the connection between our electrolysis site in Lingen and the RWE hydrogen storage facility in Gronau-Epe a reality. We need this connection to ensure stable supplies to our customers, such as TotalEnergies in Leuna.”
In the second half of the year, the network is expected to expand further south. The ongoing construction work for the transport of hydrogen on the joint pipeline operated by the Essen-based long-distance transmission system operator OGE and Nowega between Bad Bentheim and Legden in Münsterland is scheduled to be completed by then. Further connections will be connected to this pipeline, such as the one to the hydrogen storage facility in Epe, an existing connection to the Marl Chemical Park, and lines connecting industrial customers and the import route from the Netherlands.
Detlef Brüggemeyer, Technical Director of OGE, said:
We are very pleased that the construction work on the pipeline between Bad Bentheim and Legden is largely complete.
“In addition, the planning approval for the Heek-Epe pipeline was recently received, and construction work has started on schedule. As a new hydrogen pipeline, it will connect the aforementioned pipeline system with the hydrogen storage facility in Epe,”
Frank Heunemann, said:
The deployment of the first sections of the hydrogen core network provides companies that want to produce or use hydrogen with the certainty that transport will be possible on time,
He added that it is now important that the new federal government continues to consistently support the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. The most important steps: reducing the production costs of climate-friendly hydrogen and creating incentives for its use. This could enable the economic use of hydrogen as a decarbonization option for industry.
Nowega GmbH
Nowega GmbH is a long-distance pipeline operator based in Münster. This subsidiary of Erdgas Münster GmbH operates, maintains, and markets a total of 1,500 kilometers of high-pressure gas pipelines with approximately 150 employees. The pipeline network stretches from the Dutch border across Lower Saxony and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia to the Wendland region and is part of the intra-European natural gas transport routes. Nowega is part of the GET H2 hydrogen initiative and is involved in several projects to develop Germany’s hydrogen network.
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Nowega puts first section of its hydrogen network into operation, source
