Vienna, 1st December 2025 – As part of the current Delegated Act, the European Commission has published the second list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) under the revised TEN-E regulation. With the publication of the new list, the strategic importance of the SoutH2 Corridor as one of Europe’s key hydrogen infrastructure initiatives is reaffirmed with the inclusion of all individual TSO projects part of the initiative.
PCIs play a central role in closing infrastructure gaps in the European energy network and demonstrate clear economic, environmental, and social benefits for the EU. The approximately 3,300-kilometre corridor will establish one of the most important European import routes for renewable hydrogen from North Africa and the Southern Mediterranean.
The projects “H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West” and “H2 Readiness of the TAG Pipeline System” form the Austrian part of the SoutH2 Corridor, an initiative formed by the international transmission system operators bayernets, Gas Connect Austria (GCA), TAG GmbH, and Snam Rete Gas (Snam).
The SoutH2 Corridor consists of four coordinated PCI projects:
- “HyPipe Bavaria – The Hydrogen Hub” (bayernets GmbH)
• “H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West” (Gas Connect Austria GmbH)
• “H2 Readiness of the TAG Pipeline System” (TAG GmbH)
• “Italian H2 Backbone” (Snam Rete Gas)
Additionally, the North-Africa H2-Backbone — the offshore section from Cap Bon (Tunisia) to Mazara del Vallo (Italy) developed by SeaCorridor — has been included in the list as a PMI. This designation establishes a crucial link between hydrogen production hubs in North Africa and the SoutH2 Corridor network.
The expansion of the existing West Austria Gas Pipeline (WAG) and Penta-West (PW) to include parallel hydrogen pipelines will enable the bidirectional transport of around 150 GWh per day between Austria, Slovakia, and Germany in the future. The connection of the WAG to the Trans-Austria Gas Pipeline (TAG) at the Baumgarten hub provides a direct link to the SoutH2 Corridor. The connection to Slovakia also enables transport from potential sources in the east. Due to its central location, the H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West project forms an essential interface for future hydrogen transport in Central and Eastern Europe.
The “H2 Readiness of the TAG Pipeline System” project involves converting an existing 380 km natural gas pipeline from the Italian-Austrian to the Austrian-Slovakian border to hydrogen, which essentially only requires the construction of a new compressor station. By making extensive use of the existing infrastructure, it has been possible to develop a sustainable and cost-conscious project with a transport capacity of 168 GWh per day. This project also represents a connection to the eastern corridor.
With the renewed PCI listing, the European Commission confirms the importance of the two projects “H2 Backbone WAG + Penta-West” and “H2 Readiness of the TAG Pipeline System” as key projects within the SoutH2 Corridor. They are important building blocks for the security of supply with green energy and at the same time make a central contribution to the implementation of national and European climate targets and the European hydrogen strategy.
Further information can be found at:
https://www.south2corridor.net/
https://h2backbone-wag-pw.at/
https://www.taggmbh.at/en/h2-readiness-en/
