Road planning

This LAP indicates if hydrogen has to follow specific requirements when transported, and if the regulations are different from the transport of other types of gas. It identifes the competent authorities to allocate the routes.

Glossary:

Road Planning provide the municipalities with a clear understanding of the maximum risks that the transport of hazardous substances may cause. Baseline goals are: Transport hazardous substances between major industrial sites and abroad, including in the future, keeping risks for locals along the routes within legal limits, provide clarity to municipalities about what may / may not be built.

Pan-European Assessment:

Hydrogen is considered as any other flammable gas or dangerous good for its transportation. The Agreement of transport of Dangerous Goods by Road applies.

select country:

Is it a barrier?

Assessment Severity

Assessment

The transport of hydrogen must be in concordance with European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR)

Questions:

Question 1 Are there any specific regulations or restrictions on the road transport of hydrogen? A) Does hydrogen have to follow specific requirements when transported? (e.g. specific types of roads, specific route)

The transport of dangerous goods is regulated by ADR throughout Europe. ADR prescribes that dangerous goods must be transported as much as possible via big roads and only if that is not possible via the secondary roads. NO prior information to the authorities is required. Hydrogen is no exception compared to other dangerous goods.

Question 1 Are there any specific regulations or restrictions on the road transport of hydrogen? B) Please specify the requirements regarding tunnels, bridges, parking, others

Tunnel restrictions: Route possibilities using tunnels depends on design and size of transport container – bulk or bottled. ADR requires tunnels to be classified according to risk, with no restrictions for category A and a prohibition for nearly all dangerous goods in category E. In Belgium there are 7 tunnels with classification E, 2 with D and 1 with C. Trucked compressed gaseous hydrogen can pass class A tunnels at any time, in class E they cannot pass. The ADR imposes rules for the security of the transport and has prescriptions related to the parking of trucks loaded with dangerous goods.

Question 2 Which authorities are competent to allocate the routes? (and at what level: national, local?)

ADR rules shall be applied. However, it can be possible that locally traffic signs are installed to forbid that trucks with dangerous goods may pass certain roads. The ADR authorities are competent to allocate routes. In Belgium the ADR authorities are divided into three groups (one for the Flemish region; one for the Walloon region; one for the Brussels region). In Flanders the cell ADR is part of the Department Mobility and Public Works.

Question 3 Are the regulations differing from the transport of other types of gas?

ADR prescribes codes for tunnels for all dangerous goods and hence also for hydrogen. See also the national derogations from ADR, as explained here above.

Describe the comparable technology and its relevance with regard to hydrogen

Road transport of any gases (see ADR)

National legislation:

ADR, transport of dangerous goods by road
describes the classification and requirements for packing and transport of dangerous gases.
ADR tunnel code

EU Legislation:

European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances [CLP regulation]
The CLP Regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures) entered into force on the 20th of January 2009 and replaced the two previously existing laws or legal instruments, the Dangerous Substance Directive (DSD) and the Dangerous Preparation Directive (DPD). CLP is based on the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), a set of recommendations drafted by the United Nations. The CLP Regulation is applied to substances since 2010 and to mixtures since June 2015.

The Regulation includes hydrogen in its list of substances of hazardous substances (Part 3, Table 3.1) establishes rules for the harmonised classification and labelling of hydrogen.
Directive 2014/68/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of pressure equipment.
The Pressure Equipment Directive, applies to the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure greater than 0.5 bar.

Technical requirements and classification according to an ascending level of hazard, depending on pressure, volume or nominal size, the fluid group and state of aggregation, as well as conformity assessment procedures are laid down and required by the Directive

Hydrogen is a fluid which falls under Group 1. Group 1 consists of dangerous fluids (flammable, toxic and/or oxidizing). As a result, a large part of the equipment for H2 production, storage and distribution must meet the technical requirements set out in the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED).

The Directive is relevant for the approval of landing / bunkering installations
Directive 2008/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 2008 on the inland transport of dangerous goods.
Extends the uniform rules of ADR to national transport.

Article 5

Restrictions on grounds of transport safety

1. Member States may on grounds of transport safety apply more stringent provisions, with the exception of construction requirements, concerning the national transport of dangerous goods by vehicles, wagons and inland waterway vessels registered or put into circulation within their territory.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 453/2010 of 20 May 2010 amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
The Regulation defines the requirement for safety data sheets. It provides, as part of Annex 1 and 2 detailed requirements for the compilation of safety data sheets, which should include, inter alia: (i) Identification of the substance/mixture and of the company/undertaking, (ii) Hazards identification, (iii) Composition/information on ingredients, (iii) First aid measures, (iv) Accidental release measures, (v) Handling and storage, (vi) Exposure controls/personal protection, (vii) Physical and chemical properties, (viii) Toxicological information, (ix) Ecological information, (x) Transport information, (xi) Regulatory information
ADR European Agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by roads.
hazardous materials may in general be transported internationally in wheeled vehicles, provided that conditions be met for the product packaging and labelling; and that the construction, equipment, and use of vehicles for the transport is compliant:
Safety data Sheet SDS Eiga067A
Point 14 Transport informations