Bundesnetzagentur sets ramp-up tariff for hydrogen core network
Year of issue 2025
Date of issue 2025.07.14
The Bundesnetzagentur has today set the ramp-up tariff for the hydrogen core network at €25/kWh/h/a.
"We are creating planning certainty for all market players and enabling access to the hydrogen core network at a fair price,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.
Setting the ramp-up tariff
The ramp-up tariff is a uniform tariff applicable throughout Germany that customers of the core network have to pay for the injection and offtake of hydrogen. The tariff must allow the network costs incurred up to 2055 to be recouped. At the same time it must be marketable.
The tariff set at €25/kWh/h/a is the result of a qualified analysis of various scenarios for the development of the hydrogen market. The Bundesnetzagentur, with expert support, produced forecasts about network infrastructure build, the associated costs and the current likely development of the hydrogen market. This development depends not only on economic factors, but is also influenced by the political framework.
Period of applicability and review of the tariff
The tariff will be adjusted annually in line with general inflation, but will otherwise generally remain unchanged until 2055. However, the Bundesnetzagentur will review the ramp-up tariff every three years to respond to changes in the framework conditions if necessary. It will assess whether or not the tariff is still suitable for generating sufficient revenue to balance the cost allocation account up to 2055. In addition, the ramp-up tariff must remain marketable. The tariff can be increased or decreased as necessary.
Background
The determination builds on the WANDA determination that was adopted in June 2024, establishing an intertemporal cost allocation mechanism for the hydrogen core network. The mechanism aims to compensate for the imbalance between the initially low demand for hydrogen transport capacity and the initially high costs of infrastructure development. This will prevent prohibitively high tariffs, especially in the early years. One fundamental element of the cost allocation mechanism is the ramp-up tariff. In the initial phase, the tariff will be below the actual cost-covering tariff, leading to shortfalls in revenue for network operators. However, the ramp-up tariff is intended to later lead to revenue beyond the annual costs, thus generating additional revenue. The initial shortfalls are entered in a cost allocation account so that they can later be offset by the additional revenue.
The determination has been published at www.bundesnetzagentur.de/gbk-aktuell (in German).