Elering requests national planning for Estonian hydrogen pipeline
On December 1, 2025, Elering submitted an application to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to launch a special national planning process with the aim of investigating the possible conditions for establishing a hydrogen corridor (NBHC) between the Nordic and Baltic countries. The planning process will investigate whether and under what conditions it would be possible to build a hydrogen pipeline in Estonia that would connect Finland and Germany and create potential added value for Estonia's economy and strategic position. The estimated duration of the planning process is approximately three years.
Kalle Kilk, Chairman of the Board of Elering: “Elering has long-term experience in building and managing gas infrastructure, which gives us a good foundation for developing hydrogen connections and creating strategic value. For Estonia, the question is simple: do we want the opportunity to join the hydrogen market and remain part of a unified supply network, or are we content to remain on the sidelines? The latter option would mean losing out on a number of valuable opportunities, such as transit revenues and the chance to attract new energy-intensive industries to Estonia. We have therefore decided to participate in the hydrogen corridor project, at least during its development phase, to secure Estonia's place in the future energy landscape.
The construction of the pipeline would create the necessary conditions for Estonia to join the Nordic and Central European hydrogen markets and would strengthen our energy security and security of supply. The new infrastructure would open up new investment opportunities in both the energy sector and industry.
The potential hydrogen pipeline would form the basis for Estonia's internal hydrogen infrastructure in the future, to which additional connections could be developed. The infrastructure would also create conditions for growth in research and development by providing universities and research institutes with opportunities to test hydrogen technologies, energy storage, and digital control systems.
The Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor is planned as an underground pipeline. The exact route and technical solutions in Estonia will be determined during the national spatial planning process. The Estonian hydrogen pipeline is estimated to be 250 kilometers long and will be able to transport approximately 90 terawatt hours of hydrogen per year by 2040. Similar processes are underway in parallel with other project partners: Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany. The current phase of the project is 50% funded by the European Union.
The government will decide on the launch of a special national planning process within 90 days. If the decision is positive, a thorough planning process will be carried out under the leadership of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, including an assessment of the social, economic, and environmental impacts.
The planning process will be open to the public, and all interested parties will be able to participate. The Ministry of Economy and Communications will announce the opportunities for participation when it begins the planning activities.
