Nine gas transmission system operators (TSOs) from countries around the Baltic Sea have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote the development of the hydrogen market in the region. This MoU establishes a framework for cooperation among the TSOs, aiming to coordinate efforts for the development of a robust hydrogen economy. This includes infrastructure projects for the transmission and storage of hydrogen.
Additionally, the TSOs plan to share information on hydrogen market developments and projects related to renewable hydrogen production and demand.
The signatories of the MoU are Poland’s Gaz-System, Estonia’s Elering, Denmark’s Energinet, Finland’s Gasgrid Vetyverkot, Lithuania’s Amber Grid, Sweden’s Nordion Energi, Germany’s GASCADE Gastransport and ONTRAS Gastransport, and Latvia’s Conexus Baltic Grid.
Baltic Sea Region
The Baltic Sea region has significant renewable energy potential and is estimated to supply up to 45% of the clean hydrogen production required by the REPowerEU plan by 2030. The Marienborg Declaration, signed in August 2022 by the heads of governments and energy ministers of Baltic Sea region countries, commits to expanding offshore wind capacity from 2.8 GW in 2022 to 19.6 GW by 2030. The declaration also emphasizes the need for close cooperation on joint cross-border renewable energy projects and infrastructure development.
The new MoU aligns with the Marienborg Declaration and the EU agenda, which aim to reduce Europe’s dependency on imported Russian fossil fuels, accelerate progress toward European climate targets, and enhance the safety and resilience of the European energy system.
Hydrogen Projects Around the Baltic Sea
The gas TSOs have already initiated several large-scale studies for the development of cross-border hydrogen infrastructure projects. These projects aim to build infrastructure and markets in line with the REPowerEU plan, regional targets, national strategies, and the European Hydrogen Backbone vision.
Key projects include the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, the Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector, the Bornholm-Lubmin Interconnector, and the Nordic Hydrogen Route.