Hydrogen core network reservations double to nearly 6 GW in two months

Paid reservations for Germany's hydrogen core network have doubled to just under 6 GW since May, signaling strong market uptake as the infrastructure moves from planning to commercial reservation.

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Reservations for capacity in Germany's planned hydrogen core network have doubled within two months, according to the latest market information package published by the network operators. As of 23 July 2026, paid reservations for entry and exit capacity in the network's clusters stood at just under 6 GW, up from the level reported in the previous publication on 13 May 2026. The cluster transition transport (CÜT) saw approximately 0.6 GW contractually reserved, with an additional 0.5 GW requested and currently under review.

The surge in demand has in several cases exceeded the initially offered capacity, triggering the over-demand process multiple times. In all instances, the process led to a reservation offer, the operators said. The over-demand process involves optimization within a zone, reallocation between zones or clusters, and physical measures such as pressure adjustments or additional infrastructure based on the Network Development Plan (NEP).

Within an offer zone, available capacities can be marketed at any entry or exit point without additional flow-mechanical checks, the operators explained. Capacities for the years 2031 to 2034 are based on the infrastructure status of 2030, meaning facilities commissioned by 31 December 2029. Further infrastructure measures planned for 2030 to 2037 could lead to additional capacity increases, they added.

The reservation phase began on 19 March 2026, following the framework conditions published on 5 March 2026 in the second market information package. The first interim status was communicated in May 2026. The reservation principles from the first and second market information packages remain unchanged, but the operators re-evaluated capacities based on concluded reservation contracts and reallocations from the over-demand process.

Barbara Fischer, managing director of FNB Gas, which coordinates the network operators, said: "The high demand for transport capacity and the willingness to pay are a strong signal for the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. The distribution of reservations across large parts of the core network confirms that it has been planned in line with demand and underlines the concrete need for a high-performance hydrogen infrastructure."

The core network is being built by around 20 transmission and hydrogen transport network operators, coordinated via FNB Gas e.V. It was approved by the Bundesnetzagentur in October 2024 and comprises about 9,040 kilometers of pipelines, with roughly 60 percent converted from natural gas pipelines. The investment volume is €18.9 billion, with completion planned by 2032. Financing is primarily private via network charges, with an amortisation account allowing interim financing until 2055, as legally anchored in § 28q EnWG.

Regulatory foundations, known as WaKandA and WasABI, were set by the Bundesnetzagentur in October 2025 and become binding from 1 January 2028. Until then, reservations are based on a model contract coordinated by BDEW, VKU, and GEODE.

Meanwhile, the second draft of the integrated Network Development Plan for Gas and Hydrogen, published in June 2026, proposes a hydrogen network of about 9,240 kilometers. The consultation ran until 10 July 2026, and confirmation by the Bundesnetzagentur is pending.

Reservations secure capacity for up to seven years and will later be converted to firm bookings. In the current year, the first real hydrogen volumes flowed through the network: RWE supplies green hydrogen from electrolysis plants in Lingen to Evonik in Marl.