Gas Connect Austria and TAG GmbH discuss the new Gas Act, hydrogen infrastructure and Austria’s role in the European energy system with representatives from industry, the energy sector and politics

Vienna, 8 October 2026 – A reliable and future-ready energy supply requires high-performance infrastructure. Austria’s gas transmission network is the backbone of the country’s gas supply and is also firmly integrated into a pan-European energy system. Austrian infrastructure can also assume this role in a future European hydrogen network. This ambition was at the heart of the second NETWORK DIALOGUE: GAS.HYDROGEN hosted by Gas Connect Austria and TAG GmbH. Under the motto “A new Gas Act – Gas Goes Green. Ambitious goals. Little time. What needs to be decided now!”, leading experts from industry, the energy sector and crisis preparedness, as well as representatives of the parliamentary parties, discussed the future importance of existing gas transmission pipelines for hydrogen and other renewable gases and the framework conditions that need to be established quickly.

How the transformation of the energy system towards energy integration can succeed in practice was discussed by Christoph von dem Bussche, President of the European Network of Network Operators for Hydrogen (ENNOH), Wolfgang Anzengruber, Chair of the Advisory Board of Hydrogen Partnership Austria, Matthias Pastl from voestalpine, crisis preparedness expert Herbert Saurugg, and Barbara Schmidt, Secretary General of Oesterreichs Energie.

The potential of hydrogen as part of a future energy system
Europe is preparing for the hydrogen market, both among infrastructure operators and in industry, the panel agreed. Austria must not miss this development. Although there are plans to produce hydrogen within the EU, the EU will need to import significant volumes to meet Europe’s overall hydrogen demand. Austria can benefit from its strategic position along potential import corridors for green hydrogen—produced with net-zero carbon emissions—from the south, originating in North Africa, and from the east, originating in Ukraine. Hydrogen produced with net-zero carbon emissions is a key lever for industrial production, and as industry continues to decarbonise its production processes, it is highly interested in securing sufficient volumes at competitive prices.

The discussion also highlighted that the resilience of a state, society or industry is directly linked to security of energy supply. If appropriately converted for the use of hydrogen and other decarbonised gases, the existing gas infrastructure can help make Austria and the EU more independent and diversify sources of supply. Diversification is therefore a key factor in resilience. Hydrogen was also identified as a storage medium for renewable energy, as it allows surplus electricity to be stored efficiently and made available when energy is needed.

For Gas Connect Austria and TAG GmbH, the existing transmission infrastructure is a key asset in the energy transformation. Reverse-flow capabilities and the option of using the infrastructure for different energy carriers—such as natural gas, biomethane and, in future, hydrogen—create important foundations for a flexible and future-ready energy system.

Isabella Pichler-Olearczyk, Managing Director of TAG GmbH: “More renewable energy increases the need for flexibility, balancing and storage. Natural gas and green gases can bridge supply gaps and thereby support the expansion of renewables. Our pipelines are energy-carrier neutral: today they transport natural gas, and in future they could also carry hydrogen. This means that today’s infrastructure is laying the foundation for tomorrow’s energy system.” 

By further developing existing pipelines—for example in the TAG, WAG and Penta-West systems—the current infrastructure could in future be used for hydrogen, other renewable gases and, in the longer term, CO₂ transport. This would accelerate the transformation without the need to build all transport routes from scratch.

“Our transmission network was built for generations—and it can also serve generations to come. If we gradually adapt existing pipelines for hydrogen and renewable gases, we will save time, costs and resources while strengthening security of supply in Austria,” emphasises Stefan Wagenhofer, Managing Director of Gas Connect Austria.

Clear framework conditions for networks and market ramp-up
In the second panel, energy spokespersons Laurenz Pöttinger (ÖVP), Alois Schroll (SPÖ), Karin Doppelbauer (NEOS), Paul Hammerl (FPÖ) and Lukas Hammer (Greens) discussed the future legal framework. In addition to technical solutions, the transformation of the infrastructure requires reliable regulatory and economic conditions. Against this backdrop, the new Gas Act was another key focus of the Network Dialogue. EU Directive 2024/1788 establishes common rules for the internal markets for renewable gas, natural gas and hydrogen. Its key provisions were to be transposed into national law by 5 August 2026. The European Commission has since initiated infringement proceedings against Austria, underlining the urgency to act. From the perspective of TAG GmbH and Gas Connect Austria, clarity is needed in particular on an initial hydrogen network and its financing and refinancing. At the same time, the expansion of the necessary infrastructure and the development of the hydrogen market must be coordinated at both national and European level, while ensuring Austria’s cross-border integration.

Austria as a hub in the European hydrogen network
Austria’s geographical location and existing cross-border pipelines also present an opportunity for the country to continue its role as a European energy hub in a future hydrogen system. One concrete example is the Southern Hydrogen Corridor (SoutH2 Corridor), which is intended to connect North Africa with Germany via Italy and Austria. Austria’s transmission networks can connect import corridors, storage facilities and industrial consumers. Integration into initiatives for a future European hydrogen network, such as the European Hydrogen Backbone, is also crucial to transport hydrogen to where it is needed, particularly for industrial processes that are difficult to decarbonise.

“The deadline for transposing the EU Directive has already passed—every further day puts Austria at a disadvantage. What is needed now is a new Gas Act with clear rules for hydrogen networks and their financing. Only with planning and investment certainty can we provide the infrastructure and secure Austria’s role as a hub in the European energy system,” says Valerie Hackl, Managing Director of Gas Connect Austria.

“We are currently seeing a shift from a perspective focused solely on the energy transition towards energy integration. Its aim is to intelligently combine the strengths of different energy carriers and thereby create a reliable, secure and cost-efficient energy system. Integration provides flexibility, while diversification builds resilience—two essential prerequisites for Europe’s energy future,” says Daniele Gamba, Managing Director of TAG GmbH.