Targeting 600GWh! Uniper opens demonstration cave hydrogen storage plant in Germany

The plant will store a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen in a cavernous storage facility in preparation for a commercial storage project for hydrogen.

Headquartered in Germany Energy company Uniper SE in Selldorf has opened the Hydrogen Pilot Cavern (HPC) Krummhörn demonstration plant. The newly opened hydrogen storage projects, HPC Krummhörn in Lower Saxony and HyStorage in Bavaria, store a gas mixture of natural gas and hydrogen in formation pore storage facilities in preparation for commercial storage projects for hydrogen, the company said in a media release.

The Krummhörn facility has a volume of approximately 3,000 cubic meters (105,940 cubic feet) and was mined using solution mining in an existing borehole. With a storage capacity of nearly 500,000 standard cubic meters (17.6 million cubic feet) of green hydrogen, it is the first of its kind, according to Uniper.

The facility will begin trial operation after an airtightness test on September 24.

“Energy storage has always been a key factor in a stable and efficient energy system, especially when it comes to balancing seasonal fluctuations in demand. This aspect becomes even more important as the share of renewable energy in our energy supply increases: Only efficient storage solutions can ensure that energy is available when it is needed, especially in the context of decarbonization,” said Michael Lewis, CEO of Uniper.

“Hydrogen will play a key role in this: it combines security of supply and decarbonization. In addition to the transport network, the successful introduction of hydrogen first requires large-scale storage options. HPC Krummhörn is playing a pioneering role in this regard and fits seamlessly into our strategy. However, to ensure that it does not stop at the pilot phase, the industry needs a long-term development framework based on market mechanisms and corresponding investment incentives,” Lewis added.

Speaking about the project, Lower Saxony Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Buildings and Digitalization Olaf Lies said that the necessary experience can now be gathered from the field to pave the way for large-scale and commercial hydrogen projects.

“In the future, the Krummhörn storage site will be expanded and, in the first step, will offer 250 GWh of hydrogen storage capacity to the market. Overall, Uniper Energy Storage plans to develop underground salt caverns for hydrogen storage with a planned capacity of up to 600 GWh by 2030. For this purpose, existing and new sites along the hydrogen core network in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia are being investigated,” said Doug Waters, Managing Director of Uniper Energy Storage.

Next, Uniper said it plans to start initial filling and operation of the demonstration plant once approval is obtained. The company aims to go through various injection and withdrawal cycles over the coming year. This will allow real-world testing of the hydrogen compatibility of equipment and materials.

Uniper said it will invest tens of millions of euros in the Green Future project. Within the framework of the Hydrogen Directive, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Protection is providing nearly 2.4 million euros ($2.6 million) in funding for the project as a pilot and demonstration project for the hydrogen economy.

(Source: Uniper Global Hydrogen Energy Network, New Energy Network)