Germany has secured European Union approval for a €3 billion initiative aimed at developing a hydrogen transmission network that will span multiple EU member states. The plan involves repurposing current gas pipelines for hydrogen use and constructing new pipelines, with the first operational network anticipated to be in place by 2025. To support this endeavor, the German government will offer loans to facilitate the transformation of existing infrastructure and the building of additional pipelines. State guarantees will be provided to aid transmission service operators in accessing more advantageous loans, despite the initial projection of limited network users. It is expected that tariffs may need to be offered below actual costs initially to drive uptake of the network. The loans, set at rates below market standards, will be disbursed by the state-backed Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau and are scheduled to be repaid by 2055.