World Hydrogen Congress

GRTgaz is an operator committed to the energy transition and the development of renewable gas in France and in Europe. Thierry Trouvé, CEO of GRTgaz and Chairman of the Hydrogen Europe, association’s Energy Group, will speak at the World Hydrogen Congress, held from 22 to 24 September.

He will address in particular the future hydrogen transmission networks in France and in Europe during a round table entitled: “Decarbonisation of the gas grid – the next frontier of Energy Transition” on 22 September at 3:00 p.m.

According to Thierry Trouvé, “ We cannot afford to waste time. Hydrogen must become a commodity and a part of the European energy mix. GRTgaz champions the French cause on these subjects, and supports the hydrogen sector through a collaborative approach and participation in many European projects.”

For five years, GRTgaz has been working on upgrading its infrastructure to transport low-carbon and renewable hydrogen.

A report published in July 2020 by 11 European gas carriers including GRTgaz - "European Hydrogen Backbone - How a dedicated hydrogen infrastructure can be created" - indicates that a “hydrogen backbone” can be implemented in Europe.

Seventy-five percent of this “hydrogen backbone” would consist of existing natural gas pipelines converted to transport pure hydrogen. 

This operation could take place in three stages:

• By 2030, the development of the first local hydrogen networks supporting the development of low-carbon hydrogen in hydrogen valleys, particularly in Dunkirk, Le Havre, Paris, Lyon and Marseille. This would provide clean hydrogen as a raw material for the chemical and steel industries, refineries, and as fuel for maritime and rail transport. Hydrogen pipes totalling 700 km could be developed during this first phase.
• Around 2035: renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production intensifies, as demand from industry increases. This will require the creation of "national or regional hydrogen backbones" as well as hydrogen storage solutions.
• By 2040, French demand for hydrogen could reach 110 TWh/year (source: French Association for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, or AFHYPAC). At this point, the French network will be the transit hub between Spain, the Mediterranean coast and northern Europe. This national backbone will make it possible to transport renewable hydrogen produced in Spain and North Africa on a large scale. To meet these transport needs, a 3,300 km network will have to be built by 2040.

GRTgaz supports the development of large-scale hydrogen centres. The company has launched several recent initiatives in this sector:

• MosaHYc, a project carried out in partnership with the German gas carrier CREOS Deutschland to convert existing gas pipelines for the transmission of pure hydrogen serving a cross-border hydrogen ecosystem between Saarland, Moselle and Luxembourg;
• Jupiter 1000, a GRTgaz industrial demonstrator for converting energy into synthetic gas, hydrogen or methane. Its first hydrogen molecules were produced and injected into the gas network last February in Fos-sur-Mer;
• Fenhyx, an open R&D platform to check the integrity of network materials and equipment in the presence of hydrogen;
• A partnership with German gas carrier Ontras, for shared R&D including tests on the FenHYx platform and tests on a technology for separating natural gas and hydrogen. The aim is to build a pilot for the membranes used to separate hydrogen mixed with natural gas, allowing for the recovery of high-purity hydrogen. Testing will begin at the end of 2020.