Denmark Delays Hydrogen Pipeline To Germany

Denmark is planning to commission a cross-border green hydrogen pipeline to Germany in 2031, three years later than initially planned. The Danish government is working with transmission system operator Energinet to shorten the timeline from 2032. Energinet has been cooperating with Gasunie on the development of the Danish-German hydrogen network. Initial plans aimed to enable the transport of green hydrogen from 2028, but the schedule was updated after a market dialogue on hydrogen infrastructure. Several activities have proven to be more time-consuming than anticipated, pushing the commissioning date to the end of 2031 at the earliest. The Danish government is willing to provide state co-financing if the industry commits to booking capacity in the pipeline. The government will work on measures to support the possibility of commissioning the first part of the hydrogen backbone in 2031. Green hydrogen has faced setbacks in Europe due to a lack of customers, with companies like Shell and Equinor ditching plans for low-carbon hydrogen production and transportation. The International Energy Agency has reported that uncertainty around demand and incentives, as well as cost pressures, are hindering the global adoption of low-carbon hydrogen. Despite this, there has been an uptick in final investment decisions in the past year.