The Initiative
The SoutH₂ Corridor is a 3,300 km dedicated hydrogen pipeline corridor led by the TSOs: Snam, TAG, GCA and bayernets, whose individual projects have been reconfirmed as PCI by being included in the 2nd PCI/PMI list under the revised TEN-E. The corridor connects North Africa, Italy, Austria and Germany, and is enabling the supply of low-cost renewable hydrogen produced in the South to key European clusters of demand.
Securing Europe's hydrogen future
The development of the SoutH₂ Corridor, which is part of the European Hydrogen Backbone, will guarantee security of supply and is crucial for the development of an interconnected and diversified hydrogen backbone.
With a hydrogen import capacity of 4 Mtpa from North Africa, the corridor could deliver more than 40 % of the REPowerEU import target. The initiative is centred around the utilisation of existing repurposed midstream infrastructure to transport hydrogen, with the inclusion of some new dedicated infrastructure where necessary. A high proportion of repurposed pipelines (> 65 %) will enable cost-effective transportation, whilst access to favourable renewable hydrogen production locations (wind and solar) in North Africa will enable competitive production, ultimately benefitting the final user.
4 Mtpa
H₂ import capacity
40 %
deliverable REPowerEU
import target
A North African-European link for growth
The corridor has gained endorsement from institutions as well as the strong support from companies across the entire value chain and along the whole route from Italy via Austria to Germany. Renewable hydrogen would be largely produced in North Africa, for which the partners have collected signed letters of support from producers intending to produce circa 2.5 Mtpa of renewable hydrogen. It will then flow northwards, serving the hard-to-abate demand clusters of Italy (e.g. Augusta, Taranto and northern Italy), Austria (e.g. Styria, Vienna and Linz) and Germany (e.g. Burghausen and Ingolstadt). Transportation of domestic production in each of the member states would also be facilitated through the SoutH₂ Corridor. Additionally, the realisation of the SoutH₂ Corridor plays an essential role for the establishment of security of supply with hydrogen due to the connection to storage facilities along the route.
2.5 Mtpa
Expected H2 production
SOUTH₂ CORRIDOR
PCI projects
The SoutH₂ Corridor is expected to be fully operational as early as 2030.
Italian H2 Backbone *
The project concerns the development of a hydrogen backbone stretching all the way from the entry point in Sicily to the export points with Austria and Switzerland, enabling the transport of hydrogen produced in Northern Africa and Southern Italy to the main Italian and European consumption areas, which are integral parts of the European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB).
In 2025 the Italian H2 Backbone was awarded a €24m co-financing from CINEA for the performance of feasibility studies and field activities along the entire backbone and compression stations.
2,300 km
length
448 GWh/day
transport capacity
60 %
share repurposed
H2 Readiness of the TAG pipeline system *
The project consists of repurposing one of the three existing CH4 pipelines of the TAG system to pure hydrogen, with all associated facilities such as compressors, metering stations and offtake stations, between Arnoldstein and Baumgarten. There it will be connected to GCA’s ‘H2 Backbone WAG and Penta West’ within Austria to supply central Austria and southern Germany, and in addition to EUSTREAM’s ‘Slovak Hydrogen Backbone’. The system is optimised to transport hydrogen in “H2 forward flow direction” with an import capacity to Austria of about 168 GWh/day from low-cost production areas in North Africa to the largest hydrogen demand clusters using mainly existing infrastructure. The bi-directional design of TAG’s 380 km H2 pipeline enables IT, AT, DE, SK, CZ and all CEE countries to develop a common hydrogen market, promoting competition and security of supply. Where required it also serves as the basis for the Austrian local H2 network (DSO level) to meet the local needs of customers in Austria and is designed for high availability. The project is supported by numerous companies and demand regions along the corridor, potential producers and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism. As part of the SoutH₂ Corridor, it has received a joint letter of political support from the energy ministers of Austria, Germany and Italy, signed by the federal ministers. The H2 pipeline is part of the Austrian Coordinated Network Development Plan and is expected to be fully operational by 2030.
380 km
length
168 GWh/day
transport capacity
100 %
share repurposed
H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West
In this way, regions with a high potential for hydrogen production can be connected with regions of high demand making this type of energy available to the European and Austrian industry and economy in a sufficient and affordable manner. As an integral part of the European REPowerEU initiative, the project contributes significantly to the establishment of European hydrogen import corridors. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology as well as stakeholders from industry and business. Numerous leading industrial companies in Austria and companies along the entire hydrogen value chain from North Africa to Bavaria also endorse the project.
340 km
length
150 GWh/day
transport capacity
40 %
share repurposed
HyPipe Bavaria – The Hydrogen Hub
HyPipe Bavaria – The Hydrogen Hub will be laying the foundation for the indispensable Bavarian hydrogen network. Our project ispart of the German core network and an important element in the European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB). It connects regions with hydrogen demand and storages with numerous production regions both within Germany and abroad. We are setting the course for importing hydrogen to Bavaria and are thus shaping the European hydrogen hub.
Implementing the Bavarian hydrogen network as fast as possible is an essential prerequisite for establishing import routes from Southern and Eastern Europe for the German hydrogen market. We provide a high-performance import (with 6.25 GWh/hour capacity) point between Austria and Germany. National network connections with the west and north also offer Germany further flexible transmission opportunities and import prospects from Northern and Western Europe. The supply of climate-neutral and affordable hydrogen will be essential for the future viability of the industrial locations for companies in the Bavarian Chemical Triangle and the Ingolstadt region. We are connecting green hydrogen sources with hydrogen customers, who are themselves highly competitive on the global market. In 2026, the first pipeline section with a length of 15 kilometres will be commissioned in the Bavarian Chemical Triangle – which will be followed by further regional project building blocks near Ingolstadt. In 2030, the first hydrogen import volumes will be transportable to our network area. The network will have a total length of 310 kilometres.
310 km
length
150 GWh/day
transport capacity
> 95 %
share repurposed