ACER says national hydrogen network plans still lack frameworks and oversight

Serguey Asael Shinder01 October 2026, 07:112 min read

The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators has published its opinion on national network development plans for gas and hydrogen. Every two years ACER checks how well these national roadmaps, prepared by gas transmission operators and hydrogen network operators, line up with the EU-wide ten-year network development plan drawn up by ENTSOG.

The alignment matters beyond planning. The EU plan is not binding, but projects must be included in it and assessed with its methods to be selected as Projects of Common or Mutual Interest, which brings access to EU support.

ACER's finding is that alignment varies by country and by sector. Gas network planning is well established; planning for hydrogen is still emerging. It names three problems that limit closer alignment: incomplete institutional frameworks for hydrogen network planning; different levels of transparency and different approaches to scenarios, needs assessments and the way projects are included and presented; and uneven regulatory oversight.

It also records progress. Gas transmission networks are adapting to take biomethane, hydrogen injection into gas networks is permitted more widely, plans increasingly account for decommissioning and repurposing existing pipelines, and market consultations are used more often to inform hydrogen planning.

The recommendations follow from the findings: adopt a two-year planning cycle aligned with the EU process and ensure regulators approve and amend national plans; publish planning methods, regulatory assessments and project information such as costs; consult more, especially on future hydrogen demand; improve data exchange between operators across borders and sectors; and make plans reflect decommissioning, conversion of gas assets to hydrogen and biomethane projects. The next opinion is due in 2028.

Why it matters

Hydrogen pipelines are being planned before anyone knows how much hydrogen will flow through them. ACER's emphasis on demand consultation and cost transparency is a polite way of saying that some national plans may be committing network money ahead of the evidence.