The German transmission system operator Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE) on March 22, 2025 announced the construction of the Nordsee-Ruhr-Links I (NRL I) from Wilhelmshaven to Dykhausen by the end of 2027. The 21 km long pipeline also with a 1,4m diameter, and 100 bar pressure is part of the hydrogen core grid approved by the German government and the Federal Network Agency.
In order to enter into a dialog with the region at an early stage, OGE held a meeting for property owners and a “dialog market” in Jever where they were able to find out about the project and the first planned route was that will be finalized with the planning approval decision.
NRL I is part of the Nordsee-Ruhr-Link, which connects the north with the west of Germany via the Wilhelmshaven coastline (WKL), starting at the gas pressure control and measuring station in Wilhelmshaven (Voslapper Groden) and connects to the WKL, which is being built at the same time. NRL I will be runing parallel to the Wilhelmshavener Anbindungsleitung (WAL) for natural gas, which OGE built in 2022 on behalf of the German government to secure the natural gas supply.
Converting natural gas pipelines to hydrogen would reduce the impact on surrounding communities significantly. For example, GASCADE Gastransport GmbH filled a first pipeline section with hydrogenon March 3, 2025, as part of the German “Flow – making hydrogen happen” program, converting the existing natural gas infrastructure to hydrogen. By the end of 2025, a total of around 400 kilometers of pipeline, part of the German north-south hydrogen axis and with a diameter of 1.4 meters, will be ready avoiding lenghty regulatory amd construction processes.
Photo: Courtesy GASCADE Gastransport GmbH