Political Support for Southern Hydrogen Corridor: Austria, Germany, and Italy Sign Joint Letter

The energy ministries of Austria, Germany, and Italy have expressed their political support for the development of a "Southern Hydrogen Corridor" in the European Union. The corridor, which is being developed by four major European transmission system operators (TSOs), will connect North Africa, Italy, Austria, and Germany to supply important European demand clusters with competitive renewable hydrogen from the southern Mediterranean region.

The corridor has a hydrogen import capacity of over 4 million tons per year from North Africa and could meet 40% of the REPowerEU import target. The initiative focuses on using existing gas infrastructure, which will be converted for hydrogen transport, and possibly with additional new builds. The conversion of existing pipelines, with a high proportion of over 70%, allows for cost-effective transport, while access to low-cost renewable hydrogen production sites in North Africa is advantageous for industries with hard-to-avoid emissions.

The development of the SoutH2-Corridor is part of a connected and diversified European "hydrogen backbone" that will significantly contribute to supply security. The corridor is expected to be fully operational by 2030 and will consist of four individual project candidates, each submitted separately by the TSOs for consideration as projects of common interest (PCIs) under the TEN-E Regulation to the European Commission in December 2022.

However, despite the strategic value of investments in Austria's energy future that can be realized with existing gas infrastructure, public support is still necessary for the project to be implemented.

SoutH2-Corridor