European transmission systems operators (TSOs) on Tuesday said that about 40,000 km of natural gas hydrogen could be used to transport hydrogen by 2040. Under the EU’s decarbonisation strategy, policymakers aim to produce, transport, and market green hydrogen to replace grey hydrogen and substitute fossil fuel for manufacturing, heating, and transportation use. Green hydrogen is extracted from water through electrolysis powered by renewable energy. Meanwhile, grey hydrogen is produced from natural gas.
According to the TSOs, building a hydrogen pipeline network in Europe could cost between €43 billion and €81 billion ($51.40 billion-$96.83 billion). Repurposed natural gas pipelines could contribute to 69% of the proposed hydrogen network, they said. Meanwhile, the remaining 31% will be newly built to connect to future hydrogen consumers. The TSOs estimated hydrogen transportation costs at €0.11-€0.21 ($0.13-$0.25) per kg, based on the projected future production cost of €1-€2 ($1.19-$2.39) per kg.
