Rome, Berlin plan massive hydrogen pipeline to Africa

Italy and Germany want to circumvent the Alps by transforming gas pipelines into ones capable of carrying hydrogen, a clean burning gas that Berlin hopes will aid it in decarbonising its industry.

Germany’s thirst for hydrogen to fuel its industry seems unquenchable: the country is planning to consume up to 4 million tonnes every year by 2030.

With half of that amount expected to come from imports, Berlin is dependent on outside support.

Now, Italy and Germany have committed to working closely together in matters of energy, said Chancellor Olaf Scholz after meeting his counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, in Berlin Wednesday (22 November). 

“It is particularly important to expand the southern corridor for gas and hydrogen,” Scholz added.

To facilitate this, the two countries aim to spearhead “a new pipeline across the Alps” from Bavaria to Tunisia that will “increase the security of supply of both our countries,” the Chancellor said. A secondary agreement to supply gas to one another in times of need will be signed soon as well between Rome and Berlin.

According to the joint plan seen by Euractiv, that commitment refers to the “South Central Corridor,” a project building on existing natural gas pipelines that already go from Tunisia to Bavaria.

“The aim of the South Central Corridor is to expand the cross-border gas pipeline infrastructure and import 10 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030,” the plan reads.

The German government has confirmed that the pipeline should “contribute” to the import of 10 million tonnes of hydrogen following a request for clarification.

The project was initially advertised by the energy ministers of Austria, Italy, and Germany in a letter sent to Brussels in May, which envisions more than 4 million tonnes of hydrogen transiting through the pipeline, a sizeable amount.

According to the government paper, the envisioned pipeline will connect demand centres in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, thereby contributing to “the creation of a more extensive European hydrogen network”.

The connection with Switzerland could require the pipeline to either be routed through there, or the addition of an extra section. For the time being, the SoutH2 project pushed by gas pipeline operators from Bavaria, Austria, and Italy does not envision either option. 

The companies involved say that 70% of existing gas pipelines could be repurposed to transport hydrogen but whether Tunisia can provide sufficient amounts of the gas is still unclear.

By 2050, Tunisia is aiming to produce 8.3 million tonnes of hydrogen annually, the country’s energy minister said earlier last month. A study by the German Fraunhofer Institute puts the country’s production potential at 11 million tonnes per year.

Whether the country and its neighbours can deliver the 10 million tonnes described, or the 4 million tonnes envisioned by business groups by 2030 is currently unclear.

[Edited by Alice Taylor and Frédéric Simon]

Read more with Euractiv

EU tables new regulation to track climate threats to forests using satellites

The European Commission on Wednesday (22 November) proposed a forest monitoring system that will use satellites to track threats such as climate change-fuelled wildfires and illegal logging.