• Financing to ensure energy security in Germany
• Support for hydrogen transport infrastructure

KfW IPEX-Bank is providing Thyssengas with EUR 130 million as part of a revolving credit facility to finance investments during the upcoming transformation phase. The financing will support Thyssengas in the further development of its infrastructure and create a long-term funding base for investments in security of supply and the gradual conversion of the network for hydrogen transport. KfW IPEX-Bank thus remains a key banking partner for Thyssengas.

With a pipeline network spanning 4,400 kilometres, Thyssengas operates one of the largest long-distance gas networks in Germany, located primarily in North Rhine-Westphalia and, to a lesser extent, in Lower Saxony. Thyssengas is wholly owned by the Macquarie Super Core Infrastructure Fund (MSCIF), a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management. The company transports around six billion cubic metres of natural gas and biogas annually to municipal utilities, industrial plants and power stations. Over the coming years, the pipeline network will be gradually adapted for the transport of hydrogen.

“We have a long-standing business relationship with Thyssengas,” said Aida Welker, Member of the Management Board of KfW IPEX-Bank. “We are pleased that our financing will help to ensure security of supply in Germany and contribute to achieving climate targets.”

The Thyssengas network is connected to national and international transmission system operators, thereby playing a major role in ensuring security of supply for Germany and its neighbouring countries. There are interconnections with Belgium, the Netherlands and the North Sea pipelines coming from Norway. Thyssengas is also connected to key storage facilities in Germany.

Outlook for hydrogen transport infrastructure

Thyssengas plays a central role in the conversion of gas networks into hydrogen transport infrastructure, as North Rhine-Westphalia, in particular, is home to many of the major CO₂ emitters that are set to switch to hydrogen. Thyssengas operates one of the most important receiving networks in Germany for hydrogen imports, both via pipeline (primarily from the Netherlands and Norway) and, upstream, by sea (primarily via Rotterdam and LNG terminals in northern Germany that are due to be converted to hydrogen at a later date). Thyssengas’s share of the German core hydrogen network will exceed 12%.