
EU promotes the Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector
Gas pipeline network operators Gascade and Gasgrid Finland, together with fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), are currently implementing the Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector (BHC) project. As announced by the consortium, the preliminary project planning (pre-FEED phase) is being supported by the European Commission with a grant of €15.3 million from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme.
The BHC is designed as an offshore pipeline that will connect the Finnish and German markets for renewable hydrogen in the future. The project is classified as a Project of Common Interest (PCI) and is therefore considered an important building block for the European energy transition and the security of hydrogen supply in integrated energy markets . The German part of the BHC is already part of the officially approved hydrogen core network.
The EU funding is to be used to finance studies exploring the potential of the BHC as a future cross-border hydrogen transport corridor. In this phase, possible connections between Finland and Germany will be investigated. In cooperation with Swedish project partner Nordion Energi, an infrastructure extension to Sweden will also be examined in a later phase of the project. .
“Finland has excellent conditions for large-scale wind energy production, the production of green hydrogen and the establishment of a hydrogen value chain,” emphasises Sara Kärki, Senior Vice President of Hydrogen Development at Gasgrid. BHC could help to unlock this potential and create new growth opportunities for Finnish industry – particularly in the areas of hydrogen, power-to-X and the manufacture of other hydrogen-based products.
From the perspective of the project partners in Germany and Denmark, the EU’s support is also an important signal. “The financial support and close cooperation with our partners show how crucial it is to developing different infrastructure options for Europe’s hydrogen future,” explains Dr. Christoph von dem Bussche, Managing Director of Gascade.
The BHC is a project of European significance: in future, it could serve as a key link between energy-rich, northern production regions and the industrial consumption centres of Central Europe – and thus make a significant contribution to a secure, sustainable and integrated hydrogen supply in Europe.
Source: https://www.gascade.de/presse/presseinformationen/presseinformation/eu-foerdermittel-unterstuetzen-vorbereitungsarbeiten-fuer-den-baltic-sea-hydrogen-collector



























