Storag GmbH and EnBW subsidiary EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH plan to jointly develop and operate large-scale hydrogen storage facilities. There is also news from the “H2CAST Etzel” research and development project.
Storag GmbH, an independent provider of cavern storage, and EnBW subsidiary EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH have signed a contract for the development and operation of large-scale hydrogen storage facilities at the Etzel site. The agreement is intended to promote the long-term use of several new underground caverns, as the partners announced. The targeted total capacity for hydrogen storage is over 1 million cubic meters of geometric volume.
Boris Richter is convinced that the Etzel site (Lower Saxony) in the district of Friesland near the North Sea coast will play a central role in the hydrogen supply of northwestern Germany. In the joint statement, the managing director of Storag Etzel GmbH is quoted as follows: “We are continuously working on making the cavern facility H2-ready by 2027.” This includes both the construction of new caverns and the conversion of existing oil and gas caverns for hydrogen storage. The cavern facility currently comprises 75 caverns for oil and gas storage, with the potential to expand by a further 24 caverns.
Regulatory framework for business model still missing
EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH will also construct a new above-ground facility for hydrogen, it was announced. As a long-standing partner of Storag Etzel, EnBW already operates an above-ground facility for natural gas caverns on site. “The Etzel site represents an important expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure, particularly for the supply from the North Sea-Benelux corridor,” explains Peter Bux, Managing Director of EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH.
However, the final investment decision still depends on a suitable regulatory and legal framework that enables the “hydrogen storage” business model. According to Bux, it is currently difficult to secure the initially high investments over the long operating period. The energy company points to the necessity of a corresponding design of the market environment by politicians and regulatory authorities.
Storag Etzel had recently reached a milestone in the “H2CAST Etzel” research and development project: at the turn of the year, the company began storing hydrogen in two converted caverns. Over the next few months, a total of 90 tons of hydrogen are to be stored in the underground storage facilities in Etzel, East Frisia. The project aims to validate the technical suitability of the salt caverns for hydrogen storage.
Project manager Carsten Reekers emphasizes the importance of this phase: “After successful leak tests in 2024, another milestone has now been reached in the repurposing of the existing caverns.” The hydrogen, which is delivered under a pressure of 300 bar, is transported to the plant by truck trailers, displacing the brine in the caverns, which is then removed via the brine plant.
Difficulties in procurement
Despite initial difficulties in procuring the hydrogen, several tons of hydrogen had been safely stored underground by the end of January. The facilities in Etzel have thus proven their suitability for hydrogen storage. Reekers is optimistic: “We are ready to go when the hydrogen market is.”
Further important steps are planned for 2025, including the construction and commissioning of hydrogen purification plants. Various processes are to be tested for efficiency.
Since there is currently no pipeline connection, hydrogen will continue to be delivered by truck. Up to three truckloads per week are expected to arrive by summer. A total of around 200 truck-trailer loads will be needed to fill the caverns completely. However, a connection to the approved H2 “core network” by pipeline is in the planning stage, as the operating company Storag Etzel GmbH explains.
The storage has been approved by the relevant regulatory authority, the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG). The “H2CAST Etzel” project, funded by the state of Lower Saxony and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWi), serves as a basis for the development of a hydrogen industry in Germany and Europe.
