AquaDuctus

On 22 October 2024 the Federal Network Agency approved the German hydrogen core network. The core network has a total length of 9,040 kilometres. AquaDuctus is the only pipeline project foreseen for the German North Sea, to which a further 100 kilometres on land belong. As a central component of the hydrogen core network, AquaDuctus forms the heart of an integrated European offshore hydrogen infrastructure.

Open-access infrastructure

As an open-access pipeline, AquaDuctus will be a central project for building a sustainable hydrogen infrastructure in Germany and for Europe. As part of the AquaVentus initiative it will form the heart of a future hydrogen pipeline infrastructure in the North Sea.

European connectivity

With its transport capacity of 20 gigawatts, the pipeline offers the possibility of feeding green hydrogen produced offshore directly into the hydrogen core network and the European Hydrogen Backbone. As an IPCEI-notified project it will integrate not only Germany but also the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Norway into a connected European offshore hydrogen pipeline system.

Transport and supply

The aim of AquaDuctus is to transport hydrogen produced offshore from wind farms, including areas such as the German SEN zones, efficiently to the mainland. Demand centres, meaning industrial production sites and hydrogen storage facilities in Germany and other European member states, can be served in this way.

EU recognition

In view of its considerable potential to advance the integration of renewables, strengthen competition in the energy market and increase security of supply, AquaDuctus has been confirmed as a Project of Common Interest (PCI) by the European Commission. This recognition establishes the project as a cornerstone of the future European hydrogen economy.