Dresden/Leipzig (dpa/sn) - According to the Saxon government, the Leipzig-based company Ontras Gastransport GmbH can start building the first European hydrogen pipeline network as of this week. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection has issued the necessary approvals for the early start of the "Doing hydrogen" and "Green Octopus Mitteldeutschland" projects, the Ministries for Economic Affairs and for the Environment and Energy announced on Wednesday in Dresden. In the two projects, existing pipelines for natural gas are to be converted into hydrogen pipelines and sections are to be newly built. In total, Ontras plans to build around 900 kilometers of hydrogen pipelines in eastern Germany.
"Securing an environmentally friendly energy supply for energy-intensive companies with hydrogen at an early stage is one of the central challenges of this decade," said Economics Minister Martin Dulig (SPD). Only by developing and converting the infrastructure will it be possible to maintain industrial value creation in times of decarbonization of entire branches of industry in Saxony and at the same time to develop new industries. "Saxony is also relying on green hydrogen for the energy transition. We are in the process of building a hydrogen economy along the entire value chain," emphasized Energy Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens).
