Architecture
The Europe Gas Tracker uses a two-level system for organizing information. Key data is maintained in a database, at the level of individual pipelines or terminals, at the level of generating units for power plants, and at the level of fields for gas extraction sites. Each project has a corresponding wiki page on GEM.wiki, in which the data is presented, together with links to sources, additional narrative information, and a map of the project site.
Research Process
Methane and Hydrogen Gas Pipelines and Terminals
Data for methane and hydrogen gas pipelines and terminals are drawn from GEM’s Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker (GGIT). Hydrogen pipeline data include retrofitted methane gas pipelines and new hydrogen-capable pipelines, whereas terminal data only include projects to import hydrogen (or its derivatives) associated with LNG projects in the database. For more details, see the GGIT methodology.
Oil, Gas, and Hydrogen-fired Power Plants
For power plants, data was drawn from country-level government data sets whenever available, for example Germany’s Bundesnetzagentur (BNA, or Federal Network Agency). Next, the research draws on data from companies where available, for example Elia, Belgium’s electricity system operator. The research draws on additional sources as needed, including news articles, to complete the data set. For each generating unit, data sources are listed in each power plant’s wiki page. Hydrogen power projects in the database include proposals to blend hydrogen into gas-fired power, convert gas plants to fully burn hydrogen, or develop hydrogen-capable infrastructure, and GEM’s survey only comprehensively covers such projects at in-development gas plants. Data for oil and gas power plants is drawn from GEM’s Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker (GOGPT). For more details, see the GOGPT methodology.
Gas Extraction Sites
For gas extraction sites, data was drawn from country-level government data sets whenever available, for example the Danish Energy Agency. Each field’s wiki page lists data sources used. For gas extraction sites, data is drawn from GEM’s Global Oil and Gas Extraction Tracker (GOGET). For more details, see the GOGET methodology.
Project Status
Status definitions vary slightly by infrastructure types due to differences in project life cycles. For more information, see the methodology pages for pipelines and terminals, power plants, and gas extraction sites. Broadly, project statuses describe stages at which projects are either (1) in development (Discovered, Announced, Pre-Construction, Construction, In Development); (2) operating; or (3) inactive (Shelved, Cancelled, Idle, Mothballed, Retired, Abandoned).
Hydrogen Project Maturity
GEM assesses whether hydrogen projects have met criteria, specific to each infrastructure type, demonstrating progress toward completion since many hydrogen projects lack core details or commitments from stakeholders. These data are included in the summary tables. On the tracker map, a layer allows for filtering based on whether hydrogen projects have “demonstrated progress,” if they meet any of the follow criteria:
- Terminals: Sponsors have signed a preliminary agreement, issued a call for market interest, taken a positive final investment decision, or begun construction
- Pipelines: The project has entered construction or received public support via the European Commission’s Projects of Common Interest list
- Power plants: The project has secured a memorandum of understanding, contract, or financing for its hydrogen supply; is colocated with an electrolyzer or hydrogen production facility; or has entered construction
Definition of a Project Unit
For each category of infrastructure, the typical unit is described below:
- Terminals: The unit is typically a whole terminal, but sometimes a terminal has different phases in which the capacity is expanded over time by adding more trains (for export terminals) or with more regasification capacity (for import terminals).
- Pipelines: The unit is typically a particular length of pipeline, added (or planned to be added) by a particular company at a particular time. However, some existing pipelines are listed as whole networks (e.g., the United Kingdom’s National Transmission System).
- Power plants: The unit is a generator within each plant. For combined cycle sets (with one or more gas turbines working together with one or more steam turbines), the 20 MW threshold is applied to the whole combined cycle set. For internal combustion units, or those units that have multiple identically sized engines, the threshold applies to the total capacity of the set of engines.
- Gas extraction sites: The unit is an individual gas field, as defined by the sources consulted (e.g., a government agency such as the Danish Energy Agency).
Countries/Areas
The Europe Gas Tracker includes data from all EU and non-EU countries within GEM’s standard definition of Europe (based on the United Nations Populations Divisions), with the exception of Russia, and the Tracker includes data from as a few ex-European countries within the regional gas network: Cyprus, Israel, and Türkiye.
The full list of countries/areas in the Tracker is as follows: Åland Islands, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jersey, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Europe Gas Tracker Release Notes
January 2025
- This version includes the December 2024 update to the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker for pipelines and terminals, as well as a January 2025 update to the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker for hydrogen projects.
- This version was used for the Europe Gas Tracker 2025: Hydrogen edition report.
November 2024
- This version includes the September 2024 update to the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker for LNG terminals, as well as the August 2024 update to the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker.
May 2024
- This version includes a March 2024 update to the Global Oil and Gas Extraction Tracker for gas extraction sites.
March 2024
- This version includes a January 2024 update to the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker for Europe’s LNG terminals and hydrogen pipelines, and a February 2024 global update for the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker.
- This version was used for the Europe Gas Tracker 2024 report.
December 2023
- This version includes the October 2023 and December 2023 updates for LNG terminals and gas pipelines, respectively, in the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker.
October 2023
- This version includes the August 2023 update to the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker, now tracking oil-fired power plants in addition to gas-fired power plants.
March 2023 v2
- Türkiye has been added to the list of countries in the Europe Gas Tracker.
March 2023
- This version includes an interim March 2023 update for European LNG terminals, with the last global LNG data update completed in July 2022.
- This version was used for the Europe Gas Tracker 2023 report.