“We need another GTS”: What will it cost Europe to switch from gas to hydrogen?

The main problem in the implementation of the hydrogen transition program will be the transportation problem. Two options are acceptable: transportation of fuel in liquefied form or as part of methane-hydrogen mixtures. The second scenario seems the most realistic. However, Sergei Kondratyev, a senior expert at the Institute of Energy and Finance, emphasized that the construction of infrastructure is fraught with high costs.

“The new polymer pipes will help prevent the risk of hydrogen fires in the European GTS. The main problem here is that such pipes will have to be laid for thousands of kilometers. In practice, the Europeans will have to create another GTS. At least 100-200 billion euros to the European Union ”, Kondratiev explained.

The high cost of producing “green” hydrogen will mean that the European Union will have to pay billions of euros to the installers of the new GTS. Kondratiev, in turn, argued that the EU would need to allocate subsidies for the laying of new pipelines to poorer Eastern European countries.

“The gas transport system of Austria and Central Europe was created in the last 30-40 years. Replacing all the pipes in 5-10 years means capital investments of an unprecedented scale to lay hundreds of thousands of kilometers of a new GTS. It will be impossible to do this without paying serious bonuses to the developers, ”said the interlocutor of socialbites.ca.

GTS Modernization and Explosion Risks

Aleksey Gromov, director of energy at the Institute of Energy and Finance, emphasized the need for regular modernization of worn sections to transport hydrogen. In this case, the need to create a “backup” of the existing European GTS disappears.

“However, even taking into account the modernization of the GTS, on average, only 10-20% of the hydrogen will flow through the pipes. Modern pipelines can pass up to 30-40%, but there are very few such GTS sections in the EU,” explained Gromov.

Alexander Frolov, Deputy Director General of the National Energy Institute, said that severe deterioration in troubled parts of the GTS threatens the risk of local man-made disasters. According to him, hydrogen has extremely aggressive properties when interacting with metals, including steel.

“Failure to maintain proper pipework can lead to pipe corrosion and large-scale explosions. And the construction of polymer pipes will cost the EU much more than traditional steel structures. Ideally, we need seamless pipes,” Frolov concluded.

Kondratyev added that in the event of an explosion in the GTS sections, people will not need to be evacuated, but this is fraught with the release of harmful substances such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Wind farms are not helpful

Gromov said that Germany is now the leader in hydrogen production in the EU. The problem is that it produces a “gray” fuel that requires large amounts of coal and methane. This goes against the European strategy for a “clean” energy transition that requires “green” hydrogen.

“The biggest cost of producing green hydrogen is the cost of electricity.

The operation of wind farms is highly irregular. High energy production in these facilities takes a few months a year at most. Often there is a shortage of electricity needed to produce green hydrogen,” Gromov explained.

That is why a small amount of “green” hydrogen is produced in the world – about 85 million tons.

“At the moment, only Siemens has declared that it is ready to replace the infrastructure in gas-fired power plants. However, this would require re-equipping gas-fired power plants of at least 100 GW with new gas-hydrogen power plants. Until 2027, it will be impossible to do this, so Austria’s plans are written with a pitchfork in the water, ”the director said.