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What is the potential of hydrogen interconnectors?
8/1/2025
8 min read
Feature
Electricity interconnectors are expanding and attracting investment. Can the development of hydrogen pipelines be as successful internationally as the energy transition gains momentum, asks Janet Wood.
Development of trading and transport of energy is fundamental to the energy transition because it facilitates optimisation of renewable resources. As a result, electricity interconnectors have recently become a focus for investment.
For some uses we need to transfer ‘molecular energy’ (currently as natural gas/methane) as well as electrons. Can hydrogen take the place of natural gas to be the world’s molecular energy carrier?
The UK is an example of how electricity interconnection has expanded. For around 25 years Great Britain’s market (England, Wales and Scotland) had just one link with any other market, the Interconnection France-Angleterre (IFA), a joint venture between French Transmission Operator RTE and the UK’s then National Grid (now National Grid Ventures) which started operating in 1986. In 2002, Great Britain was connected to the island of Ireland, linking the Moyle interconnector to the Scottish and Northern Ireland markets.