Three Questions to Friedrich Rosenstock, Fluxys Deutschland

Fluxys Deutschland GmbH is wholly owned by the international Fluxys Group and is involved in the NEL, EUGAL and OAL gas pipelines. This makes the company closely integrated into the European gas transmission system. With international expertise and close customer relationships, the company supports the supply of the German gas market and neighboring European markets and contributes to the further development of energy infrastructure. In this interview, Managing Director Friedrich Rosenstock explains how Fluxys Deutschland addresses challenges in the energy market and what role the company plays in the context of hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure.

1. What role does Fluxys Deutschland play in building infrastructure for hydrogen and CO₂?
   
   Hydrogen and CO₂ are at the heart of our strategy. In the hydrogen core network, we are represented by a section of the EUGAL pipeline connecting Germany to the Czech network, by Fluxys’ stake in OGE, and by the German-Belgian corridor. In addition, as a member of H2Global we are committed to diversifying Germany’s hydrogen supply and, together with partners, are assessing an import corridor from North Africa via Italy and Switzerland to southern Germany that has recently been listed as a PCI/PMI. We are pursuing a different approach for CO₂: at present, we are currently not planning to build our own pipelines in Germany, but are instead relying on long-standing partnerships. Together with OGE, we are planning a pipeline that will connect German industrial companies with Zeebrugge in Belgium. From there, they will gain access to permanent CO₂ storage solutions in the North Sea, for example in Norway or the United Kingdom.
   
2. Where do you currently see the biggest practical hurdles in converting existing gas infrastructure to hydrogen?
   
   Around 60 percent of the core grid is expected to consist of repurposed natural gas pipelines. Wherever possible, converting existing infrastructure is the preferred route. At the same time, the overall hydrogen ramp-up is progressing more slowly than hoped. The reasons include high costs, hesitant demand, complex EU requirements, and generally unattractive investment conditions. If we want to implement the core grid as planned, we need to improve financing conditions for network operators and make the European framework more pragmatic. Only then will we be able to fill the pipes.
   
   
3. How important is European coordination in building hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure?
   
   It is crucial, because energy flows do not stop at national borders. Fluxys in particular develops cross-border projects that support the competitiveness and climate-neutral transformation of European industry.
   
   At the same time, coordination must not turn into overregulation. Private-sector alliances are often more flexible and capable of action than coordination that goes into excessive detail. We experience this every day in our cooperation with international partners. What is still missing are the right framework conditions in the market and in politics – once those are in place, we will be able to bring our projects into practice very soon.