Pledge from the EHB initiative to establish
hydrogen supply corridors by 2030 as enabler
for hydrogen market creation

The European Hydrogen Backbone initiative and its
members stand ready to deliver the hydrogen infrastructureneeded to achieve Europe’s 2030 hydrogen targets.
We ask for a clear mandate and the suitable policy
and regulatory support for this.

We, as European Hydrogen Backbone initiative of 31 TSOs are willing and capable to deliver the hydrogen
infrastructure required to meet the EC’s ambitious REPowerEU targets for 2030 and beyond. Hydrogen will play akey role in the decarbonization of Europe and the proposed infrastructure can enable an integration of hydrogen supply
and demand across Europe.
We as European gas infrastructure operators believe that our organisations are best placed to drive an accelerated
transformation from natural gas infrastructure to hydrogen, and we are ready to drive the needed investments, andin some cases, are doing so already. We possess the expertise and trust to optimally manage the assets and ensure anefficient transition. We have, for decades, maintained and operated the natural gas infrastructure. Our organisations
house all the required expertise – planning, engineering, contracting, financing, permitting, system management,operating and maintaining - that is needed to plan, construct, maintain, and operate gas assets and manage energy
systems that transport gas from sources of supply to demand centres. These same capabilities are now required to build
the future-proof infrastructure needed for Europe’s hydrogen-based future. In addition – our existing assets will play alarge role in a cost-efficient upscaling of the infrastructure transporting hydrogen, due to repurposing existing pipelines
and cross-border interconnections.
The EHB initiative has identified five hydrogen supply corridors that can bridge regional differences in supply
and demand and deliver access to abundant and low-cost hydrogen supply by 2030. These corridors connect local
hydrogen supply and demand in different parts of Europe, create connections across European regions as well as withneighbouring regions with export potential, in order to meet Europe’s hydrogen, import needs. These import connections
envisioned by EHB are consistent with the three major import/hydrogen corridors identified by the Commission
in the REPowerEU package, specifically, import corridors from North Africa, the North Sea area and – as soon as
conditions allow that – from Ukraine.

To ensure the development of each corridor by 2030, the following
concrete actions are needed:– Fostering development of new and repurposedhydrogen infrastructure, e.g., by unbundling rules
facilitating efficient use of expertise & services fromTSOs and by allowing different vertical unbundlingmodels across EU in analogy to natural gas– Unlock financing to fast-track hydrogen
infrastructure deployment by leveraging regional
regulatory flexibility and other pragmatic financing
solutions (including incentivizing use of hydrogen ondemand side)– Simplify and shorten planning and permitting
procedures for renewable energy, hydrogen, andinfrastructure projects.
– Intensify energy partnerships with exporting, nonEHB countries providing financing support to reducethe cost of capital in export countries and identifying acommon certification system for hydrogen exchanges.
– Facilitate integrated energy system planning ofhydrogen, natural gas, and electricity infrastructure

DOsloC

Helsinki
TalinnStockholm

Göteborg
Riga

Edinburgh

Copenhagen

Vilnius

GdanskHamburg

Manchester
DublinBerlinRotterdamCorkLondon

Warsaw
CologneLeipzig

Frankfurt

ParisKrakow

PragueMunichViennaBratislava
Budapest

Ljubljana

Lyon

MilanVenice

Bordeaux

Bucharest

BilbaoMarseille
Porto
MadridB

Valencia

LisbonAlmeria
TarifaESoﬁaRome

BarcelonaA

PalermoAthensAbove all this, speed is of the essence, and we need to start now.
The members of the EHB initiative ask for a clear mandate and suitable policy support to prioritizethese corridors. We recommend introducing the establishment of hydrogen supply corridors as front-runninginfrastructure, including all infrastructure requirements, as a political objective.
This vision of 31 gas infrastructure companies will foster the creation of a pan-European hydrogen market.
We can connect substantial supply & demand and leverage storage to deliver stable supply of cost-competitivehydrogen, both domestically produced as well as imported from neighboring regions via pipelines and importterminals. Taking this proactive role in the development of hydrogen infrastructure will accelerate deployment andintegration of renewable energy sources, support scale-up of green, innovative European industries and contribute toa resilient, independent, and sustainable European energy system.

On behalf of the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative,

Daniel Muthmann, Chair

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4 31 CList of TSOs standing behind the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative
TSO

NameFunction

Amber Grid

Nemunas Biknius

CEOBulgartransgaz

Vladimir Malinov

CEOConexus Baltic Grid

Uldis Bariss

CEOCreosMarc Reiffers

CEODESFAMaria Rita GalliCEOElering

Taavi VeskimägiCEOEnagás

Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri

CEOEnerginet

Thomas Egebo

CEOEUSTREAM

Rastislav ŇukovičCEOFGSZ

Kristóf Terhes

CEOFluxSwiss

Erik Vennekens

CEOFluxys

Pascal De BuckCEOGas Connect Austria

Harald Stindl

Managing Director

Gas Networks Ireland

Cathal Marley

CEOGasgrid Finland

Olli Sipilä

CEOGassco

Frode Leversund

CEOGasunie

Han Fennema

CEOGAZ-SYSTEM

Tomasz StępieńCEO

GRTgazThierry Trouvé

CEONational Grid

Jon Butterworth

CEONET4GAS

Andreas Rau

CEO

Nordion Energi

Hans Kreisel

CEOOGEJörg Bergmann

Chairman of the Board of ManagementRalph Bahke

Managing Director

Ivica ArarCEO

Plinovodi

Eberlinc Marjan

General Manager

REN

Rodrigo Costa

CEOSnam

Stefano Venier

CEOTAG

Daniele Gamba

CEOTeréga

Dominique Mockly

CEO

TRANSGAZ

Ion Sterian

Director General

ONTRASPlinacro

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