Azerbaijan can export "green hydrogen" through pipelines

In the long run, using "green hydrogen" may be advisable when exporting Azerbaijani hydrogen via pipelines, Report informs, citing the Offshore Wind Roadmap for Azerbaijan prepared by the World Bank.

It should consider an increase of about 10% in transportation costs compared to the cost of delivery. Thus, it may affect the competitiveness of hydrogen in export markets.

There are additional barriers to large-scale hydrogen exports since existing pipelines will require technical adaptation to transport pure or mixed hydrogen. According to the signed agreements, the capacity of the existing Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline is fully intended for the export of natural gas until 2040. This option and the required value of hydrogen can be explored with potential buyers and consumers in the European Union and neighboring markets.

The World Bank believes that the price of "green hydrogen" in export markets for Azerbaijan may be higher than the price of "green hydrogen" in other markets: "Because many of these competitive markets (for example, around the North Sea) have stronger sea winds (more than 10 m / s), and there are also fewer logistical restrictions when marketing their products."

The capacity of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the European part of the Southern Gas Corridor, where Azerbaijani gas is currently transported to southern Europe, is 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

The TAP AG consortium is considering three scenarios to increase pipeline capacity: limited - up to 14.4 billion cubic meters, partial - up to 17.1 billion cubic meters and full - up to 20 billion cubic meters per year.

TAP transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy.

On the first day of the project, which started the flow of natural gas to Europe on December 31, 2020, 10.9 million cubic meters of natural gas was transported to Europe via TAP.