en.Wedoany.com Reported - GermanyInfrastructure construction company Friedrich Vorwerk has recently secured a contract for the H2Coastlink 1 hydrogen pipeline project, which aims to further improve the hydrogen infrastructure layout in northwestern Germany and promote the construction of the country's national hydrogen core network.
The H2Coastlink 1 project features a high-pressure hydrogen pipeline with a nominal diameter of DN 400 as its main component, along with a connecting pipeline linking a future electrolytic hydrogen production facility to the hydrogen injection station in Emden, and interconnection with the regional hydrogen transport network in Leer.
The project owner and natural gas transmission system operator GTG Nord has commissioned EWE NETZ as the general contractor and awarded the construction contract to Friedrich Vorwerk. Friedrich Vorwerk will undertake the construction tasks as a member of the ARGE consortium. The contract value is in the tens of millions of euros. Preparatory work is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026, with the project expected to be completed and operational by autumn 2027, after which it will be handed over to GTG Nord for operation.
Upon completion, the project will connect the 320 MW electrolytic hydrogen production plant being built by EWE Hydrogen in Emden-Borssum with the hydrogen infrastructure in Leer-Nord, and further link to the HyPerLink national hydrogen backbone network under construction by Gasunie Deutschland and the natural gas transmission network of GTG Nord, thereby enhancing the interconnectivity of the hydrogen transport network in northwestern Germany.
To balance construction with ecological and environmental protection, the project plans to build approximately 90 crossing structures along the entire route. In ecologically sensitive areas, rivers, and major traffic routes, the construction team will employ trenchless technologies including Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) to minimize impacts on the surrounding environment and traffic.
The H2Coastlink 1 project receives financial support from the German federal government's Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) hydrogen program and the state government of Lower Saxony. It is a key component of Germany's "Hydrogen Core Network." In the future, the project will connect industrial clusters, hydrogen storage facilities, power plants, and hydrogen import corridors, providing infrastructure support for building a nationwide hydrogen transport network and promoting the large-scale application of hydrogen in Germany.
