Inspection, certification firm RINA and engineers Afry have undertaken an initial study of how the Gulf region and Europe could be linked directly with a pipeline to transport low-carbon hydrogen.
The results indicate a transformative opportunity to fully unlock the Gulf’s immense potential as a cost-effective source of low-carbon hydrogen for Europe, the pair said.
With abundant renewable energy sources and natural gas reserves, the Gulf is set to become a leading global producer of green and blue hydrogen, ammonia and other synthesis products.
The concept of a hydrogen link connecting Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and traversing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe may seem ambitious, but initial assessment indicates its feasibility, the pair added.
The analysis shows that a suitable configuration could transport 100TWh 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.
The cost of transporting hydrogen through this route is initially seen at approximately €1.2/kg H2.
The Gulf countries, in turn, could supply green and blue hydrogen to the economic hub of Europe at Levelised Costs Of Delivered Hydrogen (LCODH) of around €2.7/kg starting from the 2030s, decreasing to around €2.3/kg in the longer term.
Executive management team member at Afry Antonio Nodari said: “The collaboration between RINA and Afry provides a unique and highly interesting view of a significant opportunity to take a step forward in the green energy transition for Europe and the MENA region.
“As well as understanding the opportunities, the expert team who have worked on this report have a realistic view of the obstacles that need to be overcome and have the solutions to address those challenges.”
RINA executive vice president Andrea Bombardi added: “Through the combined expertise of Afry and RINA, 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.”