Germany's way out of natural gas is to produce energy from clean sources, Patrick Graichen, the undersecretary of the German Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection, has said and that the country is working on pipelines to transport green hydrogen to be produced in Türkiye to his country.
"By using Türkiye’s enormous solar and wind energy potential in green hydrogen production, the green hydrogen produced will be transported from Türkiye to Germany. We are working on transporting it through pipelines to be built," Graichen told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Expressing that the electricity produced from wind and solar has become cheaper worldwide and the investment cost in this field has decreased, Graichen said that the downward trend in costs will continue.
He explained that the reduction in renewable energy installation costs had a positive impact on green hydrogen production, and Europe discussed alternatives to green hydrogen production extensively.
He revealed that efforts are being made to include Türkiye in the European Hydrogen Backbone Initiative. This initiative involves the mapping of hydrogen pipelines by stakeholders in the energy sector, with the aim of reducing the European energy system's dependence on natural gas and promoting the adoption of clean energy sources.
"We are working to include Türkiye on the map, alongside countries like Italy and Libya," Graichen stated. He went on to explain that, if a hydrogen pipeline is constructed, it will run from Türkiye to the south of Germany via Austria.
Graichen highlighted that discussions around hydrogen will continue until 2030, but a real market will not emerge until after that time. He noted that numerous targets have been established in the fight against climate change, including the cessation of fossil fuel usage in Germany by 2035. Consequently, studies on alternative energy sources are ongoing.
Graichen explained that talks are being held with various sector representatives in Türkiye to develop a hydrogen market in the country. He emphasized that the technical aspects of hydrogen production and transportation via natural gas are well-known, but large-scale transportation of hydrogen would require bigger tanks and pipelines.
Hydrogen investments
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022, has created supply-side uncertainties for natural gas and oil, resulting in energy market imbalances.
As a response to the energy crisis caused by the war, there has been an acceleration in the return to coal and nuclear energy, which had previously been approached with caution due to climate change goals and plans to phase out their usage. Renewable energy projects and investments have also increased during this period. In addition, policies for investment in and development of hydrogen technologies have been expanded.
As part of this process, many Arab and African countries, along with the U.S., EU countries, Australia and Canada, have initiated green hydrogen purchase and export agreements with each other.