25. Februar 2025
On 18 and 19 February 2025, the 8th edition of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) Hydrogen Summit was held in Warsaw, Poland.
The event brought together industry leaders and policymakers to discuss latest developments in using hydrogen as a fuel and for heating in the CEE region, covering the entire value chain from production through to end-use.
The use of gas distribution grids to distribute hydrogen was one of the key topics. Peter Demeč, head of strategy and development at SPP Distribúcia and Ready4H2 Steering Committee representative, shared an update on a feasibility study that the Slovakian gas distribution system operator is conducting in the Kosice self-governing region. The study aims to assess the potential for large-scale hydrogen use in industry, buildings and transport, centred around the Eastgate H2 Valley in Slovakia. This includes consideration of hydrogen distribution infrastructure, through the conversion of existing gas distribution grids to transport hydrogen.
Peter also provided an overview of the activities of the European-wide project Ready4H2, of which SPP Distribúcia is a member and Peter is on the steering committee. This included an overview of the most recent 2024 activities; a geospatial study assessing the role of gas distribution grids in Europe's energy transition, the cost of converting an existing grid to be ready to accept hydrogen, a series of webinars with deep dives into key topics for members, and the status of project members along the Ready4H2 transformation roadmap. In addition, an overview was provided of the creation of a project database with over 50 research and pilot projects being conducted by project members.
The key finding from the activities is that the energy transition in Europe is not achievable without the use of gas distribution grids: in Ready4H2 countries around half the hydrogen demand forecast across all sectors (for the industry, transport and household & buildings) needs to be transported through distribution grids from 2040 onwards, driven by the large geographical dispersion of consumers throughout Europe. A key advantage that gas distribution operators can offer is quick connection of remote green hydrogen production sites with consumers, enabling quicker regional economic development, such as at ports. H2 valleys and H2 islands.
