NBHC Hydrogen Corridor: Market Survey Confirms Cross-Border Hydrogen Infrastructure

The project partners of the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor (NBHC) presented the results of their market survey, conducted from January to April 2026, at the beginning of July. The findings indicate that demand for hydrogen transport capacity along the corridor could increase to 79.2 TWh per year by 2040, representing approximately 87 percent of the total capacity.

The participating transmission system operators Gasgrid (Finland), Elering (Estonia), Conexus Baltic Grid (Latvia), Amber Grid (Lithuania), GAZ-SYSTEM (Poland), and the German company ONTRAS Gastransport are continuing their market analyses and feasibility studies. The technical, economic, and regulatory assessments are scheduled for completion by 2027. The project remains open to additional input and feedback from the market as the planning progresses.

A total of 93 responses were received from 81 companies across the entire hydrogen value chain, covering 108 projects. Of this, 64.4 TWh of the identified demand is attributable to industrial projects along the planned corridor. The results thus underscore the need for cross-border hydrogen transport and emphasize the strategic importance of the planned land connection between Finland and Germany, according to the project partners.

Germany is expected to become the most important target market and largest customer. According to the project partners, hydrogen demand will increase from 15.3 TWh in 2033 to 44.4 TWh in 2050. Finland will assume the role of the main importer: While domestic consumption is expected to remain largely constant at around 2.1 TWh annually, hydrogen production capacities will increase to 38.6 TWh by 2050.

ONTRAS Managing Director Ralph Bahke emphasized that the market survey confirms the structural demand along the planned route and thus underscores the importance of the NBHC for the European hydrogen rollout. The next step is to convert the non-binding requests for transport into formal transport commitments.