• Gas for Climate values the opportunity in TEN-E for the creation of a dedicated hydrogen infrastructure and proposes to speed up the repurposing of existing gas pipelines to achieve the 2030 and 2050 EU climate targets.
• Gas for Climate welcomes the newly created smart gas grids category, enabling the integration of renewable and low-carbon gases. Investments that contribute to both the decarbonisation and the smartening of the network are proposed as eligible to qualify for PCI status.
• Policy support for CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure is key to overcome the current financial gap that CCUS technologies experience. Gas for Climate thus proposes to consider including CO₂ storage and CO₂ transport for CCU under the TEN-E scope.

Today, the Gas for Climate consortium publishes a position paper on the proposed revision of the Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) regulation presented by the European Commission. In this position paper, Gas for Climate welcomes many of the additions introduced and provides feedback that could further strengthen the proposal.

Speeding up the repurposing of existing gas pipelines is key to prepare the EU gas infrastructure to transport 100% hydrogen and to achieve the EU climate targets in time. Gas for Climate proposes to enable access to CEF funding for the investments allowing the infrastructure to transport pure hydrogen.

Dedicated hydrogen production facilities and transport infrastructure will have a key role in the development of offshore grids. In view of the foreseen major developments in the offshore wind sector, Gas for Climate anticipates the need to jointly organise an integrated offshore electricity and hydrogen network development as well as investment plans allowing for a better integrated, more efficient EU energy system.

It is crucial that the scope of the newly created smart gas grids category includes all grid assets contributing to the decarbonisation of the gas sector and not only those that help digitally smarten the network. In that way, smart gas grids will be able to facilitate the integration of biomethane, renewable and low-carbon hydrogen together with hydrogen blends in the EU’s energy system. Gas for Climate proposes to clarify the evaluation of the cross-border impact for smart gas grid projects. Quantifiable and transparent indicators based on ENTSOG’s CBA guideline for project assessments in the PCI selection process are proposed. These result from the network and market modelling assessment.

CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure are key in the production of low-carbon hydrogen, in the reduction of process emissions and in enabling negative emissions through the combination of biomethane with CCUS. Policy support and public financial assistance are required for CCUS technologies, especially in the early deployment stages. Gas for Climate proposes to consider including CO₂ transport for CCU applications and CO₂ storage under the TEN-E scope, as part of the CO₂ infrastructure category.

Download the position paper here.