EWE NETZ secures option to connect to H2 core network in Dörpen

Contract signed for connection to Nordsee-Ruhr-Link III

• EWE NETZ and OGE agree tie-in tee 
• Connection to H₂ core network in Dörpen 
• Bridge between core network and regional pipeline system
• Prerequisite for regional H₂ connection

Gas network operators Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE) and EWE NETZ have signed an agreement for a tie-in tee on Nordsee-Ruhr-Link III, giving the distribution network operator the option of connecting its regional distribution network in Emsland to Germany's future hydrogen transmission infrastructure at a later point in time. 

Nordsee-Ruhr-Link III is part of the hydrogen core network, which the Federal Network Agency and the German government commissioned OGE and other gas transmission system operators to build in October 2024. It is designed to connect national producers and consumers of hydrogen and will link up with the northern hydrogen import corridor. This makes Nordsee-Ruhr-Link III the main route for moving hydrogen from the north, where most of it is produced, to the main consumption centres in western Germany. The pipeline, for which the core network has set a commissioning date of 2027, will run for approximately 122 kilometres from Bunde in East Frisia through the Emsland region to Wettringen in North Rhine-Westphalia. From there the hydrogen will flow via other core network pipelines to metropolitan areas and consumers in other sectors, such as industry.

The Emsland region and Nordsee-Ruhr-Link III stand to benefit from each other in that the numerous tie-in options along the route will give local hydrogen producers and consumers access to the Germany-wide core network. EWE NETZ and OGE have agreed on a tie-in tee in Dörpen, which will allow regional customers to be connected as and when required.

As a regional distribution network operator, EWE NETZ is responsible for the energy infrastructure in large parts of north-western Germany and Brandenburg. With this potential tie-in point, the company is laying the groundwork for integrating industrial sites, municipal projects and other large consumers in the Emsland region into a supra-regional hydrogen infrastructure in the future.

The tie-in tee is the physical interface between the hydrogen core network and the regional network and is a prerequisite for the future interconnection of both pipeline systems.

EWE NETZ is thus embracing hydrogen as a key component of tomorrow's energy landscape. This was welcomed by OGE's CTO Detlef Brüggemeyer: "We are delighted that, along with the district of Emsland and other distribution system operators, EWE NETZ has now secured a connection to Nordsee-Ruhr-Link III and is supporting the ramp-up of hydrogen."

Jörn Machheit, Managing Director of EWE NETZ, said: "The hydrogen ramp-up will only work if regional hydrogen networks are considered at an early stage. With the tie-in option in Dörpen, we are providing the bridge between the future hydrogen core network and our regional network infrastructure. This will allow us to respond quickly to specific needs."

Background: To allow gas customers to participate in the hydrogen ramp-up, OGE can provide a tie-in point for a branch line whose shape resembles the letter T, hence the term "tee". Securing the tee itself does not involve any further investment in a pipeline connection or the booking of transportation capacities on the OGE network at that stage.

The development of a hydrogen infrastructure complements the ongoing transformation of the electricity and gas networks. For EWE NETZ, this means further developing existing network infrastructure from a technical perspective and gradually preparing it for the integration of climate-neutral gases. The tie-in option in Dörpen is a concrete building block for systematically interlinking the regional network infrastructure with the future hydrogen core network.