ONTRAS commissions transmission line in Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park – first section of the hydrogen core network in Eastern Germany
At the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park (EBL), the 25-kilometer-long transmission pipeline is going into operation, connecting the electrolyzer under construction with the TotalEnergies Central Germany refinery in Leuna. The initial filling of the pipeline marks the achievement of several milestones: First, work on a further value-added stage of the energy park has been completed, and the pipeline is now ready to transport hydrogen. At the same time, with this pipeline section, ONTRAS has completed the first section of the hydrogen core network in Eastern Germany and thus also the first part of the ONTRAS H2 start-up network. As its core, the long-distance gas pipeline (FGL) 701 enables the connection of further projects in the hydrogen core network, such as Green Octopus Central Germany (GO!) towards Magdeburg-Salzgitter and the Central German Chemical Triangle and the Leipzig-Halle Region (LHyVE). This also makes the energy park part of the European Hydrogen Backbone.
During the official commissioning, Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister for Science, Energy, Climate Protection and the Environment, Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann, emphasized:
With the start of operation of the hydrogen pipeline, we are sending an important signal: The development of the hydrogen economy and the core network is not a theoretical vision of the future, but is making concrete progress.
“Especially in economically turbulent times, it is important not to shy away from investments and to set the course for the future. I am convinced that the hydrogen core network will gradually develop into an important lifeline for energy-intensive industry in the coming years. Especially in Saxony-Anhalt, the production, storage, and use of green hydrogen will create new jobs and additional added value.”
Gunar Schmidt, ONTRAS Managing Director of Operations and Safety, says:
This transmission pipeline is a central element of the energy park and the first H2 pipeline in the core network in eastern Germany.
“It enables the annual transport of approximately 2,700 tons of green hydrogen to customers in Leuna.We are demonstrating that a gas transmission pipeline from the 1980s can very well play an important role in the energy system of the future.”
After a careful examination of the pipeline’s technical condition, several measures to upgrade it for the transport of green hydrogen, and its separation from the natural gas grid, the pipeline is now filled with hydrogen and officially approved for H2 transport .
Schmidt, explains:
In the coming months until the electrolyzer is commissioned, we will be able to gather important insights into the transport of hydrogen along this route during test operations, so that we will then be prepared for real-life operation,
Cornelia Müller-Pagel, spokesperson for the EBL consortium and Head of Green Gases at VNG AG, says:
With the wind farm already in operation and the hydrogen pipeline, two central building blocks of the energy park’s value chain have already been completed.
“We are thus providing practical proof that the existing gas infrastructure can and will continue to play an important role in the energy world of tomorrow. As soon as the electrolysis plant starts operating and the feed-in station in Leuna is operational, the entire green hydrogen value chain will be operational. The first deliveries of hydrogen will take place this year – a unique success story, made in Eastern Germany,”
Hans-Joachim Polk, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ONTRAS and Member of the Board of Management for Infrastructure & Technology at VNG AG, adds:
What begins here today with a pipeline a good 25 kilometers long is also the starting point for the ONTRAS H2 launch network.
“The hydrogen transport network planned by ONTRAS, with a pipeline length of around 600 kilometers, will be an essential part of the nationwide H2 core network currently being developed. The connections thus created to other hydrogen projects in Germany and Europe will be particularly valuable,”
Expected to be around the end of 2025, after completion of the construction of the electrolyzer and the completion of the feed-in facility in Leuna, green hydrogen produced using electricity from the wind farm in the Bad Lauchstädt energy park will find its way through the pipeline to the TotalEnergies Central Germany refinery, thus bringing the entire value chain to life.
BU:
ONTRAS officially inaugurates the transmission pipeline at the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park: the first section of the hydrogen core network in eastern Germany. From left to right: Gunar Schmidt, ONTRAS Managing Director for Operations and Safety; Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann, Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister for Science, Energy, Climate Protection and the Environment; Thomas Kralinski, Head of Office and State Secretary of the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy and Climate Protection; Cornelia Müller-Pagel, Project Manager of the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park and Head of Green Gases at VNG AG. © Photo: Tom Schulze
BU 2:
Marker post for hydrogen with signatures of the keynote speakers. © Photo: Tom Schulze
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ONTRAS commissions transmission line in Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park – first section of the hydrogen core network in Eastern Germany, source
