Hydrogen transport and decarbonization of the air transport
GRTgaz, the leading gas distributor in France focused on the energy transition and Groupe ADP, the world airport industry leader, are launching a joint study into the conditions that need to be met to transport hydrogen by pipeline to the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly airports. The two partners are seeking to combine their expertise to help decarbonise air transport, aiding the development of a French hydrogen sector in the process.
In 2021, Groupe ADP and Air Liquide had undertaken joint work on characterising the challenges involved in integrating hydrogen infrastructure into the Paris region airports.
This new partnership is a continuation of this work exploring ways of getting gaseous hydrogen to the airports where it can be liquefied and stored before being distributed to aircraft.
These efforts are all geared towards paving the way for hydrogen-powered planes, a major innovation that will help achieve net zero across the air transport sector.
The work will last 12 months and the aims of the study are as follows:
- Assess and compare – from a technical and economic perspective – future main hydrogen supply chains for getting hydrogen from import or hydrogen production hubs to the Paris airports;
- Identify the first pipeline routes (for chains made up of new pipelines);
- Define a provisional schedule for implementing this infrastructure.
GRTgaz will assess – from a technical-economic perspective – the various hydrogen logistics supply chains, involving existing gas pipelines being reused, as well as the construction of new infrastructure. Groupe ADP will provide its vision of the increase in hydrogen demand at Paris airports, alongside its expertise in developing airport infrastructure to integrate hydrogen.
Augustin de Romanet, Groupe ADP CEO said: “Hydrogen has a part to play in the future of transport. That's why we have to start enabling hydrogen to be used on the ground in airports today, while at the same time readying ourselves to accommodate hydrogen-powered aircraft. This project, that we are proud to be managing alongside GRTgaz, is a line with our aim of establishing Paris airports as energy hubs serving the sustainable air transport sector, as well as helping to drive the ecological transition across the regions in which we are located.”
GRTgaz CEO Thierry Trouvé points out that “thanks to its flexibility, hydrogen will have a major role to play in decarbonising the European economy, particularly air mobility. Infrastructure will enable large quantities of it to be transported. Some existing infrastructure can be converted from infrastructure for transporting natural gas into infrastructure for transporting hydrogen. We are proud of the trust placed in us by the Groupe ADP: this partnership will enable GRTgaz to make concrete progress in implementing Europe's hydrogen backbone (EHB )1 ."
1The aim of the European Hydrogen Backbone is to ensure security of supply for hydrogen consumers, and to make sure that a hydrogen network connecting 28 European countries is in place for 2040.
The latest report published on the topic confirms that pan-European hydrogen infrastructure based on converting existing infrastructure used for gas is possible. The study presented in this report suggests that there could be nearly 40,000 km of hydrogen network by 2040.
Collaboration resulting from GRTgaz's national hydrogen consultation
In June 2021, GRTgaz, which is committed to developing renewable and low-carbon hydrogen transport activities, launched the first national hydrogen and low-carbon market consultation in order to identify the needs of stakeholders in terms of gas transport and storage infrastructure.
Paris’ airports have a number of assets that will enable them to catalyse the development of hydrogen in France and across the regions in which they are based. There are a number of needs that could be met using hydrogen, such as heavy mobility, powering utility vehicles, taxi fleets and aircraft layover support vehicles, as well as the emergence of hydrogen-powered aviation.
Groupe ADP was among the first to express an interest in GRTgaz's hydrogen consultation. Discussions have since been held to assess hydrogen mobility requirements across Paris' various airports. The group is gradually transforming its airports into energy hubs that will feature hydrogen and renewable fuels in order to support the ecological transition, both on the ground and for aircraft.
In France, GRTgaz foresees a hydrogen network being developed by 2030. It will be made up of new infrastructure, as well as by converting part of the existing gas network. GRTgaz has launched projects in emerging hydrogen basins, the aim being to develop pipeline-based transport infrastructure to serve local emerging hydrogen ecosystems. In the longer term, the prospect of a national network connecting up these basins, interconnected at European scale and linking up storage facilities, is welcomed among the market stakeholders who were sounded out.