Hydrogen is on the rise. Estonian environmental planning company Hendrikson & Ko has been selected to prepare the national spatial plan for Estonia’s section of a European hydrogen corridor linking producers in Finland with major industrial consumers in Germany and Poland.
The planning contract, commissioned by Elering, is worth nearly €1.2M, writes ERR Majandus. The company will work with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to develop possible routes and the infrastructure needed for the corridor, Elering said in its project announcement.
Connecting Estonia to the European hydrogen network
The six-country project would create a connection between hydrogen producers primarily in Finland and large consumers in Germany and Poland. The full pipeline is estimated to cost €7B-€10B, while national planning processes will help determine whether the infrastructure would be economically viable.
Hydrogen is already used across Europe in fertiliser production, fuel refining and chemical manufacturing. Germany’s large chemical industry is a potential source of demand for hydrogen transported through the corridor.
“Planning the hydrogen corridor through Estonia will give us a connection to the Nordic and Central European system,” said Liina Vahtras, minister of economy and industry. “This is a good opportunity to strengthen the country’s energy security and at the same time create investment opportunities for local industrial and energy companies.”
The project could generate transit revenue for Estonia and create core infrastructure that local hydrogen producers and consumers could use in the future. The route would also give Estonian companies a potential connection to the wider European hydrogen market.
Mapping a route for future investment
The spatial planning process will last up to three years. It will assess alternative routes, technical solutions and the project’s social, economic and environmental impacts before a preferred route is selected.
The planning area covers about 6,500 square kilometres, or roughly 15% of Estonia’s territory, and includes 24 local governments across seven counties. The planned connection would run from the Latvian border to the coast of northern Estonia, with an onshore length of approximately 250 to 300 kilometres.
The infrastructure is being planned as one or two underground pipelines, with valve stations, up to two distribution and metering stations, and two compressor stations. The route will be assessed alongside existing electricity and gas infrastructure corridors wherever possible, although new protection zones may be required in other areas.
Monika Korolkov, project manager for the plan, said the work would begin by developing possible route solutions. “It is important that we can take local governments, landowners, communities and other parties into account as early as possible when shaping the solutions,” she said.
Landowners affected by the eventual route will be contacted personally when the planning process reaches the relevant stage. The route assessment will also consider safety, impacts on people and landowners, potential local benefits and the use of existing infrastructure corridors.
Marju Kaivapalu-Kaasik, Elering’s project manager for hydrogen infrastructure planning, said the corridor could allow Estonia to join the European hydrogen supply network while creating infrastructure that local producers and consumers could use in the future.
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