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Gasunie and STORAG ETZEL team up in hydrogen storage in Germany

Gasunie is to become partner in H2CAST, the H2 storage pilot project in the Etzel caverns in the German state of Lower Saxony. This was announced by STORAG ETZEL and Gasunie. For Gasunie, this participation is a first step towards developing H2 storage facilities in Germany.

With H2CAST, which stands for H2 CAvern Storage Transition, STORAG ETZEL and Gasunie, together with project partners, aim to enable large-scale H2 storage in the salt caverns near Etzel, Germany.

The first step involves a pilot project in which two of the existing salt caverns will be made suitable for H2 storage and connected by an above-ground installation. Within the pilot project, Gasunie will be responsible for the above ground facility to connect the two H2 caverns. The pilot project is expected to be ready in 2026.

The location of the storage caverns in Etzel is strategically located with a perfect connection to the Dutch and German H2 market, near the future Gasunie H2 network HyPerLink and the Energy-Hub Port of Wilhelmshaven.

Han Fennema, CEO Gasunie said, "Hydrogen is going to play an important role in the future energy system, especially for making industry more sustainable. For a well-functioning hydrogen market, large-scale hydrogen storage is a crucial component. Gasunie has the ambition to develop salt caverns for hydrogen storage in both the Netherlands and Germany."

STORAG ETZEL is delighted that Gasunie has chosen to join the H2CAST project in Etzel which already started early 2022.

Boris Richter, Managing Director of STORAG ETZEL said, “The industrial scalability of the underground storage is unique for the H2CAST pilot. Gasunie will optimally strengthen the project consortium, which is of strategic importance for the Etzel site. The pilot project is a starting point for a future value chain to enable the ramp-up of the international hydrogen market.”