Greece participating in initiative for vertical green hydrogen corridor to Germany

Greek gas transmission system operator DESFA is in talks with its counterparts from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic on the creation of a hydrogen corridor that would reach Germany.

The plan is still at an early stage, with discussions taking place between the operators, Energypress.gr reported.

They lean on Germany’s expected needs for hydrogen from abroad. The demand is estimated at 130 TWh per year by 2030, of which 100 TWh from imports.

Each operator would need to make sure, through upgrades and investments, that its network can carry hydrogen. The countries are in different stages right now, with Romania expected to need the biggest upgrades to its system.

Even though the corridor as a whole does not feature on the European Union’s Projects  of Common Interest (PCI) list, two of its links are: DESFA’s dedicated hydrogen pipeline project in Greece, as well as Bulgaria’s Hydrogen Transmission System.

Overall, the new hydrogen corridor can be based on the Vertical Gas Corridor initiative for natural gas from Greece to Ukraine.

It envisages pipelines connecting Greek liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals to consumers in Eastern Europe through Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and similar projects across the wider region. Any new natural gas infrastructure must be hydrogen-ready.

One interesting parallel is the Green Aegean electricity transmission project for exports from Greece all the way to Germany through the Adriatic Sea. Greek Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO or, in Greek, Admie) supports the project and has included it in its investment plan.

Furthermore, the North-South Electricity Corridor project is under way, adding more verticality to connectivity in the region. It also includes Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Projects moving at different speeds

Even though renewable energy deployment has taken off in Greece and the region, the same cannot be said about green hydrogen production.

Motor Oil: Rationalization is good for the market

In Greece, two projects were recently abandoned, leading to fears of premature investments. One of them is Advent Technologies’ Green HiPo in the Western Macedonia region. It was removed from the country’s Just Transition Development Plan a few months ago. Other projects are making progress, like for an electrolyzer in Motor Oil’s refinery. The company aims to start producing green hydrogen in 2026.

“Many players entered the market and promised projects, but few are moving forward. On the other hand, this rationalization of the market is good,” said the group’s EU Affairs Manager Constantinos Chatzifotis.

In other news from the region tracked by Balkan Green Energy News, Serbia is conducting its first pilot project for green hydrogen, in cooperation with German company Leipziger Energiegesellschaft.