Renewable and low-carbon molecules are set to play a key role in Europe’s transition to a sustainable and decarbonised future. The Hydrogen and decarbonised gas market package entered into force in August 2024, providing a clear regulatory framework for the transport of these energy transition gases and diversifying supply sources. The package also aims to contribute to the EU’s energy resilience, security and strategic autonomy objectives.

Scaling up and prioritising investments in repurposed infrastructure – such as pipelines for transporting hydrogen and carbon dioxide – are seen as central for energy system integration and stability. These investments are also important deliverables for the new 5-year term of the European institutions, which prioritise growth and competitiveness alongside climate neutrality and strategic energy sovereignty.

A European hydrogen backbone is a major step to deliver on decarbonisation. Within this framework, repurposing gas pipelines to hydrogen service can cut investment costs by 50-80% compared to creating new pipelines.

The EU Industrial carbon management strategy calls for the implementation of a net-zero industry act target of at least 50 million tonnes of CO2 storage capacity. This will require connecting emitters with storage sites. However, little detail is provided on how to enable hydrogen and CO2 infrastructures on time and at the right scale to serve transition to a new energy landscape.

Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss the role of repurposed pipelines in delivering the EU’s decarbonisation targets. Questions to be addressed include:
- What are the best strategies to address the contribution that hydrogen and carbon dioxide infrastructure can provide to achieve EU climate targets in a cost-efficient manner?
- How can the current regulatory and funding frameworks for hydrogen and carbon dioxide infrastructure help - or hinder - the necessary investments?
- How and to what extent does repurposing of natural gas pipelines help in reducing energy costs for industry competing on a global scale and lowering the bills for EU households?