BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 21
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
Hydrogen pipelines are the most cost-efficient option for long-distance, high-volume transport of hydrogen to connect hydrogen supply regions with demand clusters within the EU+ UK, Trend reports with reference to the European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB) report.
“The EHB is estimated to cost €0.11-€0.21/kg/1,000 km on average, outcompeting transport by ship for all reasonable distances within Europe and between Europe and potential neighbouring export regions. Cost-efficient hydrogen transport by pipeline enables hydrogen imports from neighbouring regions such as North Africa, Ukraine, Norway, and potentially the Middle East – where renewable energy is abundant and cheap – to complement domestic hydrogen production and to support the security of European supply,” reads the report.
All shipping methods – ammonia, LOHC, and LH₂ – have high upfront costs, related to conversion and reconversion installations and in the case of LOHC the carrier chemical costs. Ship-transport is three to five times more expensive compared to pipeline transport when looking at north-Africa and Saudi Arabia. For imports from Australia pipelines are not an option and ship-transport costs are estimated to be around €1/kg of H₂. – Hydrogen pipelines and electricity networks each possess their complementary strengths when it comes to long-distance transport of decarbonised energy carriers.
The cost-optimal energy transport option depends on factors such as the desired end-use energy carrier, availability and cost of storage, renewable energy supply characteristics, and network topology. For high-volume transport of energy when the desired end-product is hydrogen, pipelines – both newly built and repurposed ones – are 2 to 4 times more cost-effective than power lines. This comparison excludes storage costs for electricity and hydrogen. The consideration between gas and electricity transport is not only an economic question but also one of societal acceptance. Whereas a 48-inch hydrogen pipeline can have a throughput capacity of up to 16.9 GW, power lines typically possess throughput capacities in the range of 2 to 3 GW each. This means that, to transport volumes of energy corresponding to a 48-inch pipeline (the size that is used today with natural gas) using power lines would require the equivalent of 5 to 9 overhead transmission lines.
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