A proposed cross-border hydrogen pipeline linking Germany and the Netherlands has cleared a critical technical hurdle, but as 2026 begins, the project remains constrained by regulatory sequencing, certification requirements and the absence of construction deadlines.
This obstacle centers on how the pipeline would be built. Under a framework agreement announced at the end of December, Gasunie, Thyssengas and Gasunie Deutschland agreed to jointly develop plans for the first cross-border hydrogen transport infrastructure between the two countries, based mainly on reusing existing natural gas transport assets rather than building a new corridor.
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The companies said the deal is a joint development agreement, a preliminary step designed to define technical and regulatory requirements before any future grid interconnection contracts, according to Thyssengas.
Speaking to S&P Global Commodity Insights about the coordination of hydrogen transport with Germany, Sophie Hermans, Minister of Climate and Green Growth of the Netherlands, described the agreement as part of a wider energy integration of the North Sea. He noted that the Netherlands sees cross-border hydrogen infrastructure as “essential for a functioning hydrogen market in northwest Europe”, but stated that regulatory alignment and market rules “need to mature alongside the pipelines”.
Viable, but not yet ready for construction
In published technical materials, Gasunie describes a significant portion of its high-pressure steel gas transmission system as suitable for hydrogen service, subject to asset-specific validation based on steel grade, weld type, age, operating pressure and fatigue history. The operator emphasizes that conversion decisions should be made on a channel-by-channel basis rather than at the network level.
In outlining the cross-border concept, the operators identified potential interconnection points at Oude Statenzijl in Groningen and Vlieghuis in Drenthe, both within existing transmission corridors in the Netherlands, the companies said.
“The agreement reached enables transport not only through our infrastructure between the Netherlands and Germany, but also to and from Denmark,” Helmie Botter, Gasunie’s director of hydrogen transport, said in a joint statement announcing the deal.
“We strive to create an integrated hydrogen market and are working closely with our partner network operators to make cross-border transport as easy as possible,” he added.
Technical planning documents issued by the European Hydrogen Backbone consortium, which includes Gasunie and German transmission system operators, support this assessment.
The consortium reports that converting existing pipelines to hydrogen service can reduce capital costs by approximately 60% to 80% compared to newly constructed hydrogen lines, depending on the extent of upgrades required.
Your guide describes typical conversion work, including internal inspection, material compatibility testing, replacement of incompatible valves and seals, upgrades to measurement and monitoring systems, and in some cases, revised operating pressures.
Thyssengas said it is contributing an existing pipeline segment between Vlieghuis and Ochtrup in North Rhine-Westphalia, where conversion work began in summer 2025 as part of Germany’s central hydrogen network and the GET H2 initiative. The company described this work as an early building block rather than a completed cross-border system.
Dr. Thomas Gößmann, CEO of Thyssengas, said in the same statement that “the signing of this contract marks an important milestone in the expansion of the international hydrogen infrastructure.” Gößmann noted that the chosen connection point between the two countries makes a “valuable” contribution to the project.
“It will allow cross-border transport of hydrogen [and] support the development of Germany’s central hydrogen network,” he said, “and boost industrial decarbonization in the Ruhr and Rhineland regions through its connection to the GET H2 system.”
The process of converting existing infrastructure from one fuel to another also explains why operators have approached the conversion as a gradual and highly regulated process rather than a complete network change.
The technical standards issued by DVGW, which govern gas and hydrogen infrastructure standards in Germany, recognize the transport of hydrogen in pipelines originally designed for natural gas, but require updated material, safety and operational compliance.
These standards also require formal certification of converted assets, validation of material performance in hydrogen service, and compliance with revised pressure and safety limits before hydrogen can be introduced.
-600px.jpg "Map of the hydrogen network of the Netherlands")
A map published by Gasunie shows the planned hydrogen network in the Netherlands, illustrating proposed hydrogen pipelines, import points and cross-border connections linking Dutch industrial centers with neighboring markets, including Germany.
Map courtesy of Gasunie
International standards bodies apply similar limitations. The ASME and ISO guidelines allow the transport of hydrogen in steel pipelines, but flag hydrogen embrittlement, increased leakage potential, and fatigue under pressure cycling as key engineering risks, requiring conservative design assumptions, improved inspection regimes, and modified operating practices.
Together, the studies and operator standards explain why the conversion is viable on paper but still slow to certify and sequence into construction-ready work, helping to explain why the project remains in planning despite broad policy alignment.
For contractors, this technical framework translates into scopes of work that differ markedly from pipeline construction. Conversion projects emphasize integrity assessment, materials engineering, system modification, testing and commissioning, often executed in stages to maintain continuity of existing gas service, rather than large-scale earthworks and new right-of-way developments.
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Navigating overlapping regulatory regimes
Operators have identified potential connection areas near the Dutch-German border in the north of the Netherlands, including regions near Groningen and Drenthe, with the aim of enabling two-way hydrogen flows once the national grids on both sides are up and running. While the final route and plot-level alignments have not been released, the regions mentioned overlap with existing pipeline corridors and emerging centers of hydrogen production and import, providing geographic context without committing to finalized alignments.
The corridor aims to support industrial hydrogen demand in western Germany, including the Ruhr and Rhineland regions, where steel and chemical producers are among the first expected buyers, according to operators.
Although both countries operate within the European Union, national regulators in Germany and the Netherlands continue to control hydrogen and gas transmission assets. Permits, safety certification, fee approval and cost recovery must be secured separately in each country.
The EU-level hydrogen strategy supports the development of cross-border corridors and may allow priority treatment or access to financing mechanisms, but does not replace national approvals or guarantee synchronized construction schedules. In practice, the German-Dutch link functions as two interdependent infrastructure projects that must move forward in step.
The operators have not disclosed construction schedules, capital cost ranges or procurement strategies, so it is unclear when contractors might see bid packages emerge.
This uncertainty reflects unresolved network sequencing decisions that are now moving from policy to early execution planning. Germany’s central hydrogen network, approved by the end of 2025, outlines thousands of kilometers of pipelines to be converted or built by the early 2030s, but many segments still require permitting, tariff approvals and phased certification. Under current plans, the German-Dutch interconnection would link directly to this network, making its sequencing dependent on when adjacent German assets are converted and authorized for hydrogen service.
The Dutch side faces comparable sequencing constraints as Gasunie advances its national hydrogen backbone in stages linked to industrial demand and the availability of hydrogen supply. The operators state in the applications that cross-border hydrogen transport will be phased, with limited initial capacity and expansion contingent on growth in demand rather than delivered as a single large capacity development.
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what’s next
For now, the German-Dutch hydrogen pipeline remains a signal of intent rather than an imminent construction opportunity. Progress in 2026 depends on whether operators can translate technical feasibility, already established in operator studies and formal standards, into certified assets, aligned regulatory approvals and bankable demand signals.
Until these execution mechanics are sorted out, sustained build activity is likely to remain on the horizon.
