Bornholm-Lubmin pipeline to transport hydrogen from 2027

Germany/Denmark – From 2027, the H2 Interconnector Bornholm-Lubmin will transport hydrogen from the Danish island of Bornholm to Lubmin.

The cross-border hydrogen infrastructure intends to promote and expedite the development of offshore wind in the region and the larger Baltic Sea, while also providing a dependable and cost-effective decarbonization pathway for the energy system of north-eastern Europe.

GASCADE is developing the idea in collaboration with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ (CIP) dedicated CI Energy Transition Fund as a prospective financial backer. Energinet, Denmark’s transmission system operator, is also involved in the project. The European Commission has received a PCI application for the 140-kilometer interconnector.

Connecting wind farms

The offshore pipeline, which has already undergone a feasibility study with excellent results, is planned to connect the island of Bornholm and the offshore wind farms that surround it with the German Baltic Sea coast near Lubmin. The hydrogen is then pumped into the onshore system and shipped south. The pipeline will be built to be future-ready, with incremental capacity increases to 10 GW by the 2030s.

Making hydrogen happen

This strengthens the neighboring Project Flow – making hydrogen happen – and makes it more European. This project has massive dimensions from the start, with a length of over 1,100 km and an entry capacity of up to 20 GW at the final stage. The recently constructed interconnector is an extension of the new hydrogen highway, which will connect Denmark with several big hydrogen demand centers in Germany.

The Baltic Sea has tremendous untapped potential that can contribute to greater energy security as well as the European Union’s 2030 energy and climate ambitions, as well as its 2050 climate neutrality goal.

In addition to the direct connection between Denmark and Germany, connections to a potential Baltic Sea offshore backbone to Sweden and Finland are being considered. Additional volumes of hydrogen could be brought to Europe in the future in this manner.