Austria–Germany Hydrogen Pipeline Deliveries Rise as Registry Gap Slows Trade
Green hydrogen deliveries via pipeline from Austria to Germany have increased sixfold since 2024, but the absence of a German guarantees-of-origin registry is preventing cross-border certificate transfers and slowing hydrogen market integration.
(P&GJ) — Cross-border hydrogen deliveries from Austria to Germany are increasing, but regulatory barriers are limiting market integration despite proven pipeline transport capability.
The “H2 cross border” project, launched in 2021 by RAG Austria AG and bayernets GmbH, was designed to establish a full hydrogen value chain across national borders, from production and storage to transport and delivery.
Since September 2024, green hydrogen has been delivered via pipeline from Austria into Germany. At the end of January 2026, approximately 630 MWh had been transported — nearly six times the volume recorded during the initial deliveries.
Hydrogen produced by RAG through water electrolysis is injected into Austria’s natural gas grid and transferred to the bayernets transmission network at Burghausen. From there, Shell Energy Deutschland forwards volumes to customer MEGGLE.
While technical delivery has proven viable, project partners say regulatory shortcomings are slowing market development.
The primary hurdle is the inability to transfer guarantees of origin across borders. Although RAG and MEGGLE are registered within Austria’s certificate-of-origin system operated by E-Control, Germany does not yet have a compatible register, preventing the certificates from being transferred or credited to the German buyer.
“We have shown that cross-border hydrogen deliveries work technically and operationally. The fact that there is still no functioning register of origin in Germany and that the Federal Environment Agency has not communicated a clear timeline is significantly slowing down the market ramp-up and sending a problematic signal to investors and project developers,” said Dr. Matthias Jenn, Managing Director of bayernets GmbH. “Without a tradable and interoperable registry, green hydrogen remains a regulatory stopgap in a cross-border context.”
Project partners said inquiries to Germany’s Federal Environment Agency have not yielded confirmation that a registry will be operational in 2026.
“The German Environment Agency is slowing down the ramp-up of hydrogen through excessive bureaucracy. We need cross-border recognition of green hydrogen now in order to continue implementing projects. Our partners are ready to move forward – but without an immediate rethink, necessary investments and scaling projects will remain blocked,” said Markus Mitteregger, CEO of RAG Austria AG.
The companies are calling for accelerated implementation of a German registry and harmonization of certificate systems between Austria and neighboring countries to enable cross-border tradability and eligibility of green hydrogen.