GTG Nord hydrogen grid

The development of the German wide hydrogen network is being organised in a joint planning process by the transmission system operators in Germany on a private-sector basis. You can register your individual requirements using our dedicated form. This enables us to include your enquiry in our supply planning.

You can use our form to describe your project and grid connection request to us. Please complete our form using the button below (in German).

Formular Netzanschluss

To further support the ramp-up of the hydrogen market and offer market participants investment and planning security, the operators of the hydrogen core network have launched a coordinated process for reserving initial hydrogen core network capacities. The process is based on a market information package published on 5 March 2026. It provides the related information on the development of the hydrogen core network in the form of clusters and the capacities available therein. Starting immediately, the process allows companies to secure the entry and exit capacities required for their supply relationships at an early stage – an important contribution to securing hydrogen projects in Germany.

Capacities can now be reserved on the basis of a model contract agreed within the industry using a standardised application form. In the first step, reservations will be based on the network and capacity structures for the years 2026 to 2030 listed in the market information package. The capacity and cluster developments for the following years will be published subsequently by the hydrogen core network operators, taking into account the gas and hydrogen network development plan.

You can submit requests for capacity reservations via the application form. Requests can be submitted for the following network point types:

Network point types that can be reserved with THE:

•   Cross-cluster transport (CÜT)

Network point types that can be reserved with the hydrogen core network operators (WKNB):

•   Delivery point to end consumers (NAP)
•   Border transfer point (GÜP)
•   H2 terminal
•   Domestic production facility
•   Hydrogen storage facility

Please select the grid point type appropriate for your project and submit your request using the provided form. Upon receipt of your capacity request via the enquiry form, GTG Nord will review it. At the same time, GTG Nord will carry out a Know Your Customer (KYC) check. If both checks are completed successfully, the reservation becomes binding upon signing the capacity reservation agreement between GTG Nord and the applicant.

GTG Nord charges a reservation fee of EUR 0.25 per kWh/h/a for the reservation of hydrogen capacities. A minimum annual reservation fee of EUR 12,000 applies.

Further information on the reservation concept can be found in the Second Market Information Package (published on 5 March 2026).

Link to the application form

The capacities published in Second Market Information Package represent the initial capacity framework based on the infrastructure to be commissioned between 2026 and 2029. This provides the foundation for a hydrogen ramp-up in all areas already connected to the core hydrogen network. The capacity framework was determined using conservative assumptions due to the distribution and location of capacity requirements being unknown in advance. As the market develops and the specific location of demand becomes clear, the capacity framework within a cluster may increase. It is expressly provided that requests may be submitted that exceed the reported capacity supply in supply zones and for cross-cluster transports. These requests are reviewed by the network operators and may lead to a needs-based reassessment of the capacity supply as part of a case-by-case review. For cross-cluster transport, this could reduce the clearing price or even eliminate it entirely if all requests for the same hour can be fulfilled.

The Federal Network Agency has set a ramp-up tariff of 25 €/kWh/h/a for transport in the hydrogen core network (Federal Network Agency press release from 14 July 2025). As with natural gas, the transport grid charges represent only a small fraction of the energy carrier’s total costs.

Green hydrogen is a key element of the energy transition. As an energy carrier and feedstock, it enables the decarbonisation of all sectors – particularly those that are difficult to electrify.

Industry
On the path to climate neutrality, industry relies primarily on electrification. However, full decarbonisation is hardly achievable without molecular energy carriers, as many industrial processes require heat at high temperature levels. Sectors such as the chemical industry, automotive manufacturing, as well as metal and mechanical engineering, need temperatures above 500 degrees Celsius. In metal production and processing (e.g. steel), as well as in the glass and ceramics industries, more than half of the energy demand occurs in areas exceeding 1000 degrees. For these high-temperature processes, hydrogen is the ideal energy carrier.

Power generation and security of supply
Energy generation from wind and solar is subject to weather-dependent fluctuations (volatility). During periods of high production, excess electricity can be converted into green hydrogen via electrolysis and stored in underground caverns. When insufficient renewable power is available, this hydrogen can be reconverted into electricity in power plants. In this way, hydrogen serves as an indispensable storage component for a secure energy supply.

Mobility and heating
In the transport sector, hydrogen is used primarily where batteries reach their limits – for example, in heavy road freight transport or trains operating on non-electrified lines. Hydrogen is also playing an increasingly important role in municipal heat planning, helping to operate district heating networks in a climate-neutral way.

To create transparent and verifiable standards, an EU-wide certification system applies. This ensures that both hydrogen produced in Germany and imported hydrogen meet the same stringent requirements. It essentially distinguishes between two categories:

Renewable hydrogen (RFNBO)
The so-called RFNBO criteria (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin) apply here. For hydrogen to be certified as “renewable”, it must be verifiably produced using electricity from renewable energy sources.

Low-carbon hydrogen
Hydrogen that does not meet all criteria for renewable hydrogen but still has a significantly better climate balance than conventional hydrogen can be certified as “low-carbon”. This may apply to:

• Hydrogen produced via electrolysis from electricity, but which does not meet the strict RFNBO requirements.

• Blue hydrogen produced from natural gas via steam reforming, where the resulting CO₂ is captured and stored (CCS technology).

Irrespective of whether the hydrogen is produced in Germany or imported: Certification provides the buyer with clarity on the origin and ecological footprint of the energy carrier.

The existing natural gas pipelines can be substantially converted to the transport of hydrogen. The condition of the pipelines intended for this purpose will be checked in advance. The transport of hydrogen will then be just as safe as the transport of natural gas today.

The conversion of existing pipelines offers important advantages: In comparatively little time and with little local impact due to construction work, a Germany wide network will be created to link the hydrogen consumers with the production and import points. Transporting hydrogen via pipelines is the most efficient and cheapest option.

In addition, an option for the further utilisation of the existing natural gas infrastructure will be created.

Yes. Hydrogen has been produced, transported and used in private networks in Germany for a long time. The pipelines used to transport hydrogen are monitored around the clock by a control centre. As hydrogen mixes very quickly with the surrounding air outside the pipes, there is basically no danger even in the very unlikely event of a leak. If a leakage leads to a drop in pressure in the network, this is registered immediately and the gas flow in the corresponding pipe section is stopped.

This synchronised mode of operation means that the hydrogen network is just as safe as the natural gas network.

So called grey hydrogen is produced from natural gas. This releases ten tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of hydrogen. If it is replaced by green hydrogen, this CO₂ emission can be avoided. The planned electrolysis plant in the Emden area, for example, produces up to 24.000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year with its electrical output of 320 MW and 3.750 full-load hours. This corresponds to 240.000 tonnes of CO₂ saved.

Yes. The conversion of the network to hydrogen will not take place overnight, but will be carried out gradually and planned in detail. Only pipelines that are no longer needed for natural gas operations will be converted for hydrogen use. The infrastructure for natural gas in Germany has also been designed in a way that there are always several lines ready for operation along a route. This means that hydrogen and natural gas can be transported along the same route at the same time.