Hydrogen corridor through Latvia: what landowners should know about the planned pipeline
A stretch of up to 280 kilometers of hydrogen pipeline could cross Latvia as part of a planned Nordic-Baltic corridor, though the project remains at an early research stage with no restrictions yet imposed on landowners.
Europe is planning a new cross-border energy infrastructure project: a roughly 2,500-kilometer hydrogen pipeline corridor intended to link Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. In Latvia, the pipeline could stretch up to 280 kilometers and pass through 10 municipalities. Representatives of Conexus Baltic Grid, Edgars Smiltāns and Jānis Eisaks, explain that the project aims to reduce the region's dependence on imported fossil fuels while opening the door to new industrial sectors in the country.
Still an early-stage project
Although gas transmission operators have been working on the concept since 2022, it remains in the feasibility-study phase. Currently only an environmental impact assessment and public consultations are underway, which appear to have fueled concern among some landowners. Experts stress that the designated 100-meter-wide study corridor imposes no construction or economic-activity restrictions — it exists purely to evaluate possible routes.
Running alongside the existing gas line
The plan is to build the new pipeline next to the existing natural gas network to minimize the number of newly affected properties. A single pipe with a 1,200-millimeter diameter would be buried in a trench at an average depth of about two meters, using construction methods similar to those used for gas pipelines. Potatoes and grain crops could still be grown above it, though trees and new buildings would not be allowed — though Latvia has not yet finalized specific protective-zone regulations for hydrogen pipelines.
Jobs and safety
The project could create new jobs and give local companies opportunities to participate in construction, though exact figures will only emerge from further commercial studies. Safety technology and monitoring will resemble those used for natural gas infrastructure. Actual construction is not expected to begin before the next decade. Latvian law allows energy companies to install infrastructure on private land even without the owner's consent when justified by public interest, though in practice the process typically involves coordination with landowners.
