Debunking The Myth: Existing Natural Gas Pipelines Are Not A Cheap Slam Dunk For Transporting Hydrogen – CleanTechnica

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

---

Last Updated on: 17th March 2025, 12:01 pm

Hydrogen proponents love to paint a rosy picture of the future — one where we simply repurpose existing natural gas pipelines for hydrogen transport, avoiding the need for costly new infrastructure. This claim is simplistic, misleading, and built on a foundation of wishful thinking rather than engineering realities.

This is a companion article to the Cranky Stepdad vs Hydrogen for Energy material. In a similar manner to John Cook’s Skeptical Science, the intent is a rapid and catchy debunk, a second level of detail in the Companion to Cranky Stepdad vs Hydrogen for Energy, and then a fuller article as the third level of detail.

Transporting hydrogen through old pipes is like trying to squeeze a basketball through a garden hose — it requires a lot of adjustments.

Natural gas infrastructure was designed for, well, natural gas. Hydrogen is an entirely different beast. Its molecular structure, flow characteristics, and chemical interactions with materials make transporting it through existing pipelines anything but a straightforward task. Hydrogen’s small size means it leaks far more readily than natural gas (Zhang, Wang, & Chen, 2022). Worse, it embrittles pipeline materials, causing them to crack and fail over time (Wescott, Sudholt, & Carter, 2021). This isn’t a minor issue; it’s a fundamental challenge that necessitates extensive—and expensive—modifications.

Proponents who claim we can simply reuse existing pipelines ignore the sheer scale of the required upgrades. The necessary modifications include:

• New Linings and Reinforcements: Standard pipeline materials degrade when exposed to hydrogen, meaning internal coatings must be replaced or pipelines themselves must be swapped out entirely (Melaina, Antonia, & Penev, 2013).
• Compressor Replacements: Hydrogen requires much higher pressures to move efficiently through pipelines, demanding an overhaul of compression infrastructure (U.S. Department of Energy [DOE], 2023).
• Sensor and Control System Upgrades: Hydrogen interacts with electronics in ways that natural gas does not, meaning sensors, leak detection systems, and other monitoring equipment must be re-engineered for safety and reliability (UK Health & Safety Executive [HSE], 2021).
• Leak Mitigation Strategies: Hydrogen’s small molecular size makes leakage nearly unavoidable without costly reinforcements, presenting both economic and safety concerns (European Gas Research Group [GERG], 2022).

These are not minor adjustments. They are fundamental redesigns of the infrastructure itself, turning the idea of “repurposing” into a full-scale rebuild.

Recent hydrogen pipeline projects have seen significant cost estimate increases, highlighting the economic challenges of large-scale hydrogen transport. The European Hydrogen Backbone, originally projected to cost around €80 billion, has seen revised estimates exceeding €100 billion due to material upgrades, safety modifications, and inflation. In the U.S., the HyVelocity Gulf Coast hydrogen pipeline network has faced rising cost projections due to the need for embrittlement-resistant materials and high-pressure compressors. Similarly, Australia’s proposed hydrogen pipelines have encountered escalating estimates, with some projects doubling in cost due to unexpected infrastructure and safety requirements. These increases underscore the complexity and financial burden of adapting pipelines for hydrogen transport.

The argument that we can “simply” reuse existing pipelines falls into the classic trap of hasty generalization. Just because some modifications can be made does not mean they are easy, cost-effective, or scalable. The real-world constraints — materials science, safety regulations, and economics — make hydrogen transport through repurposed pipelines a pipe dream rather than a practical solution.

Hydrogen transport via existing pipelines is not a silver bullet. It is a complex, costly, and technically challenging endeavor that requires far more than just “a few tweaks.” Those pushing this narrative are either uninformed or deliberately downplaying the engineering hurdles involved. As the research overwhelmingly shows, hydrogen pipeline transport is an infrastructure challenge of its own, not a free ride on the back of natural gas networks.

---

References:

European Gas Research Group (GERG). (2022). Assessing Hydrogen Readiness of Gas Networks.

Melaina, M. W., Antonia, O., & Penev, M. (2013). Blending hydrogen into natural gas pipeline networks: A review of key issues. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Technical Report.

UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE). (2021). Hydrogen Transport Safety Report.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). (2023). Hydrogen Infrastructure and Pipelines: Technical and Economic Challenges. Washington, DC: DOE.

Wescott, J., Sudholt, A., & Carter, J. (2021). Materials challenges for hydrogen transportation and storage. Joule, 5(9), 1905–1908.

Zhang, X., Wang, Y., & Chen, Z. (2022). Hydrogen leakage and safety challenges in repurposed natural gas pipelines. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 47(5), 3206–3219.