Making hydrogen usable for everyone via the gas distribution networks

Today, the entire heating market, including process heat, accounts for 60 percent of final energy consumption in Germany. At the same time, process heat is critical for the survival of a large share of small and medium-sized industrial enterprises – and consequently for hundreds of thousands of jobs in Germany.

70 percent of these users cannot switch to electricity in order to achieve the goal of decarbonization. With hydrogen, we can gradually and economically decarbonize the heat supply for industrial processes. That is why the H2vorOrt initiative is so important. We want hydrogen to be adopted in all sectors.

Achieving the energy and heat transition will only be possible if we focus on the application-open implementation of decarbonized gases.
The gas and hydrogen networks represent the backbone for accomplishing this and must be regarded as an infrastructural unit.

With H2vorOrt, we show the path towards transformation into the hydrogen economy.

Gas distribution networks are the backbone of socially acceptable decarbonization. They make use of the existing infrastructure and efficiently supply climate-neutral hydrogen to households, industry, and countless commercial enterprises. Furthermore, they also facilitate climate-neutral mobility throughout Germany.

The transformation of the gas distribution networks is one of the decisive factors for the emergence of a hydrogen economy. H2vorOrt makes a highly valuable contribution towards achieving this.

We believe that working together with the H2vorOrt partners is an important building block for jointly shaping the much-needed gas infrastructure transformation process toward a hydrogen infrastructure to facilitate the success of municipal companies in the fight against climate change.

Our existing gas distribution networks provide us with a real asset and a unique opportunity to develop and secure the future climate neutrality of households, industry as well as small and medium-sized enterprises from the existing infrastructure, in a smart and efficient manner.

As one of the largest TSOs in Europe, we are aware of the fundamental importance of gas distribution networks.
The German gas distribution networks alone supply 1.8 million industrial and commercial customers and almost half of all households in Germany.

Around 80 percent of the gas used in Germany is supplied to customers via the distribution networks. They are pivotal to achieving a successful energy and heat transition in Germany. This is why the work of H2vorOrt is so valuable.

Some 24,000 industrial and commercial customers as well as 225,000 households are connected to our gas network.

In order to move towards climate neutrality together with our customers, we are already testing the admixture and technical feasibility of 30 percent hydrogen in our network laboratory in Öhringen. Our goal: 100 percent!