Central pipeline link from the north to the west for Germany's hydrogen economy

North Sea-Ruhr Link I runs from Wilhelmshaven to Dykhausen. Project presented to the public for the first time.

Essen-based gas grid operator Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE) is planning to build a new pipeline section called North Sea-Ruhr Link I (NRL I) from Wilhelmshaven to Dykhausen. It will be part of the core hydrogen network approved by the German government and the Federal Network Agency in October 2024. At a meeting of landowners and a subsequent dialogue market in the town of Jever, OGE presented the project to the public for the first time. According to plans for the H2 core network, the new pipeline is scheduled for completion and commissioning in 2027.

Approx. 21 km in length, the NRL I section, which will have a pipe diameter of 1,400 mm and be designed for 100 bar, will be part of the Nordsee-Ruhr-Link, which together with the Wilhelmshaven-Küstenlinie (WKL), will connect northern Germany with western Germany for the transport of hydrogen. Together, they are the central pipeline links for the German hydrogen economy from north to west, not only connecting the grid to the northern import corridor but also linking national hydrogen producers and customers along the route. The North Sea-Ruhr Link I will start at the gas metering and pressure regulating station in Wilhelmshaven (Voslapper Groden) where will connect to the WKL, which will be built at the same time. "According to the project timeline for the core network, the NRL I is scheduled for completion and commissioning by the end of 2027. We have aligned our plans accordingly, which means that construction activities will commence in the fourth quarter of 2026," Franz-Josef Kißing, the technical project manager, explained. What is special about NRL I is that it runs largely parallel to the Wilhelmshaven pipeline link (WAL), which OGE built in 2022 on behalf of the German government and the Federal Network Agency to ensure the security of Germany's natural gas supply in connection with the war in Ukraine. “During the construction of the WAL, we realised that we had a really strong partner in the people of Wilhelmshaven, Frisia and Wittmund. With the construction of the Nordsee-Ruhr-Link, these regions are once again making energy history,’ added Franz-Josef Kißing, who, with his team, was also responsible for the construction of the WAL in 2022.

Even though OGE is already a familiar name in the region, Franz-Josef Kißing and his team believe it is important to enter into dialogue with the local people at an early stage. This is why the project team met with local landowners and organised a dialogue market at the Schützenhof in Jever. Only the landowners actually affected by the pipeline project received an invitation to the meeting. "The event is meant to give landowners the opportunity to learn about the project and ask questions,” explained Frank Teiber, Head of Real Estate and Land Acquisition at OGE. The dialogue market that followed is an open format where interested members of the public could find out more about the NRL I project on information boards and in discussions with OGE experts. Visitors also had the chance to take a first look at the planned route, although the final route will only be known after the planning approval decision. "We are currently preparing the application documents for the planning approval process and are aiming to submit them this year so that we can meet the requirements of the core network by completing the pipeline by the end of 2027," Franz-Josef Kißing added.

Overall, the project team was positive about the dialogue event. “We had very good discussions and were able to answer questions and also take on board some points that will be important for our next steps," Franz-Josef Kißing said. He and his team are now continuing to prepare the documents for the planning approval process so that the NRL I can go into operation in 2027 as set out in the core network project schedule.