The project partners of the Nordic Baltic Hydrogen Corridor (NBHC) – Finland’s Gasgrid, Estonia’s Elering, Latvia’s Conexus Baltic Grid, Lithuania’s Amber Grid, Poland’s GAZ-SYSTEM, and Germany’s ONTRAS have signed a grant agreement with the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) for the European Union (EU) financial support to the NBHC.
As disclosed, the maximum grant amount of €6.8 million will support the NBHC feasibility phase. The project partners said that the co-financing from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for cross-border energy infrastructure projects under the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) will allow them to conduct feasibility studies that examine the technical, economic, regulatory, and environmental aspects of building a large-scale hydrogen pipeline network in the Baltic Sea region.
This phase is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027, laying the groundwork for subsequent project development phases, the partners revealed, adding that as it gets underway, stakeholders across the public and private sectors will be invited to contribute to the process. It is understood that the corridor commissioning is estimated for the early 2030s.
To note, the NBHC aims to support the EU’s decarbonization targets by integrating renewable hydrogen across six member states. It could reduce carbon emissions by up to 37 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year by 2050, the partners pointed out, claiming that it will enhance energy security and supply diversity in the region and Europe, connecting indigenous renewable hydrogen production to existing and new demand centers, as well as contribute to the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors.
The project was granted the status of the Project of Common Interest (PCI) by the European Commission as part of the ‘Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan for Hydrogen’ (BEMIP Hydrogen) in April 2024, the completion of the pre-feasibility study was announced in September 2024, the companies applied for Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding in October 2024, and the start of the feasibility studies was announced in December 2024.
READ MORE Gas TSOs conclude pre-feasibility study on Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor project moves forward Sara Kärki, Gasgrid’s SVP, Hydrogen development, commented: “The Nordic Baltic Hydrogen Corridor project is an embodiment in cross-border collaboration for Europe’s clean energy transition. The CEF support is an important milestone that not only enables us to move forward, but also amplifies what we can achieve together. With our partners, we are laying the foundation for a future-proof hydrogen infrastructure and market that strengthens energy security, accelerates decarbonisation and creates the foundation for value added investements in each of the connected countries.”