ÖHRINGEN/STUTTGART (dpa-AFX) - According to the distribution network operator Netze BW, the natural gas network in Baden-Württemberg can in principle also transport hydrogen. This is the result of a multi-year field test in the town of Öhringen (Hohenlohe district). "The existing infrastructure is purely hydrogen-compatible with minimal conversion work. This was not at all clear at the beginning of the network laboratory," said the Technical Managing Director of Netze BW, Martin Konermann, on Tuesday. There is now a big green tick behind it.

Netze BW operates a natural gas distribution network in the state that is more than 6000 kilometers long. According to Konermann, more than 95 percent of this network could transport hydrogen immediately. Only certain pipelines would have to be replaced. According to him, the results are also transferable to other gas network operators in the southwest.

The pilot project entered the decisive phase in mid-2022: At that time, part of the gas network in Öhringen was disconnected and supplied independently. On this "island", the proportion of hydrogen was gradually increased to up to 30 percent. This was produced from surplus solar power, among other things. One property of the EnBW subsidiary and 26 households were integrated. Thanks to the admixture, the consumers did not need to make any technical adjustments

- for example, to the gas boiler.

Hydrogen is regarded as the energy source of the future. It can be produced using a process known as electrolysis. In this chemical reaction, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. If the electricity comes from renewable energies, it is referred to as green hydrogen. Hydrogen is likely to become particularly important for industrial companies in the country - but not exclusively: "We will also see the topic of hydrogen in the heating market. Not 100 percent, but wherever a local heating network or heat pumps cannot be used," said Konermann.

Netze BW currently assumes that the hydrogen transformation will begin in 2032 and that hydrogen will be transported in the existing gas networks in the state from 2040./jwe/DP/ngu