Approval for OGE pipelines

OGE projects receive planning permission

Gas network operator Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE) has received the planning approval decisions for four new pipeline projects, which means construction can now start on the Dorsten-Hamborn (DoHa) pipeline, the Dorsten-Marl (DoMa) pipeline, the Marbeck-Heiden (MaHei) pipeline and the Heiden-Dorsten (HeiDo) pipeline in the administrative district of Münster.

Planning approval provides the legal basis for pipeline construction and operation. The main construction work for these pipelines will start in spring 2026.

The projects at a glance

The MaHei project comprises an approx. 1.5 km natural gas pipeline between Marbeck and Heiden, a gas metering and pressure regulating station (M&R station) and a connection to the OGE transmission system. The pipeline is needed for the conversion from L-gas to H-gas. The HeiDo project is an approx. 17 km natural gas transmission pipeline between Heiden and Dorsten. Together with MaHei, it contributes to the diversification of gas supply routes and sources, thus helping to improve security of supply. Both pipelines are being built by OGE and will also be designed for the transport of hydrogen.

The Dorsten-Hamborn (DoHa) pipeline is part of Germany’s hydrogen core network. It is a dedicated hydrogen pipeline and connects pipeline no. 13 from its starting point in Dorsten to the Thyssengas network in Duisburg. Pipeline no. 13 is a jointly operated pipeline in the OGE and Nowega GmbH pipeline system and has been included in the hydrogen core network as a so-called repurposed pipeline, which means that it will be converted from natural gas to hydrogen in the future. The Dorsten-Hamborn pipeline will then connect to this pipeline as a new pipeline in the hydrogen core network. In the future, both pipelines will transport hydrogen to the Ruhr area to support climate-neutral steel production there.

The Dorsten-Hamborn pipeline runs through the administrative districts of Münster and Düsseldorf. The partners in this construction project are Open Grid Europe GmbH (70 per cent) and Thyssengas GmbH (30 per cent).

The Dorsten-Marl (DoMa) pipeline project is also part of the hydrogen core network approved by the German government and the Federal Network Agency in October 2024. It connects pipeline no. 13 from its starting point in Dorsten with the tie-in option for industrial companies in the Marl Chemical Park. These pipeline connections enable the industrial companies based in the Marl Chemical Park to switch to climate-neutral production. The partners in the Dorsten-Marl pipeline project are Open Grid Europe GmbH (50 per cent) and Nowega GmbH (50 per cent).

The DoHa and DoMa hydrogen pipeline projects are part of the GET H2 initiative, which aims to establish the core of a nationwide hydrogen infrastructure and thus deliver the energy transition. The pipelines are funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag and by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.