OGE welcomes the adoption of the National Hydrogen Strategy

Gas transmission system operator OGE welcomes yesterday’s adoption of the National Hydrogen Strategy (Nationale Wasserstoffstrategie, NWS) by the German government.

Tangible steps needed during this legislative period

This is the first important step towards the development of the hydrogen economy in Germany and will open up opportunities for Germany to achieve technological leadership and reach its climate protection goals. The federal government’s decision to promote the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier is logical and correct.

OGE also supports the federal government’s view that Germany has well-developed natural gas infrastructure which will play an essential role in the establishment of a hydrogen economy going forward. After all, well-functioning infrastructure for hydrogen transportation and storage is the prerequisite for the future supply of hydrogen in the necessary quantity and quality to the industrial and mobility sectors in particular, but also the heating market. It is right to use the existing gas infrastructure for this purpose and thus to shape the energy supply and infrastructure in line with sustainable climate and economic policies both today and in the energy mix of the future.

The existing German infrastructure is an ideal basis for implementation of the NWS. Various studies and investigations have highlighted the potential of hydrogen as well as the economic advantage of a future-oriented, intelligent energy system based on renewable power and hydrogen. Now, relevant actors like OGE are ready to take the next steps and engage in specific projects. To ensure that all this can take place promptly, tangible steps towards implementation must now follow. For gas infrastructure this means among other things that amendments to legal and regulatory frameworks – for example the Energy Industry Act and the Gas Network Access Ordinance – need to be adopted during this legislative period.