New study points to Gulf’s potential as source of low-carbon H2 for Europe

June 27, 2023, by Aida Čučuk

RINA, the inspection, certification and consulting engineering company, and AFRY, a company specialized in engineering, design and advisory services, have undertaken an initial study of how the Gulf region and Europe could be linked directly with a pipeline to transport low-carbon hydrogen, and the results indicate an opportunity to fully unlock the Gulf’s potential as a cost-effective source of low-carbon hydrogen for Europe.

RINA said the analysis shows that a suitable pipeline configuration could transport 100 TWh or approximately 2.5 million tonnes of hydrogen annually. Moreover, by constructing additional pipelines of the same nature, the transport capacity could be significantly scaled up.

It further noted that the cost of transporting hydrogen through this pipeline is initially seen at approximately 1.2 EUR/kg H2, adding that the Gulf countries, in turn, could supply green and blue hydrogen to the economic hub of Europe at levelized costs of delivered hydrogen (LCODH) of around 2.7 EUR/kg starting from the 2030s, decreasing to around 2.3 EUR/kg in the longer term.

The discussion around exporting hydrogen and its synthesis products from the Gulf to Europe is currently revolving around molecule transport by ship, RINA reported, pointing out that those options receive EU subsidies and drive activity within the gas/hydrogen industry, but they may not be most efficient for bulk transport. Thus, a competitive and actionable pipeline project from the Gulf region in the near future could provide a viable and powerful complement, it said.

Andrea Bombardi, Executive Vice President at RINA, commented: “This first-of-its-kind study considers routing alternatives, technical parameters and feasibility, especially for the deep-sea pipeline section, geo-strategic framework conditions and top-level economic estimates of a direct hydrogen pipeline link between the Gulf and Europe as an element of an integrated green energy and industry system across Europe and MENA.”

“The findings of the study represent a decisive contribution to boost the hydrogen economy. Together with AFRY, we have identified a potential stable corridor to bring supply and demand together. The scale-up of hydrogen adoption goes through projects like this.”