- Uniper conducts hydrogen storage trials in repurposed salt pans.
Uniper, Germany's leading natural gas storage service provider, is set to unveil an underground test facility for hydrogen in Krummhörn, East Frisia, on Monday (13:00 CEST). Over the next two years, trials will be conducted to examine how various materials and technology respond to the gas and how hydrogen can be stored under actual conditions. The facility is anticipated to commence operations soon. Germany's Minister of Economics, Olaf Lies (SPD), is also expected to attend the event.
Uniper previously declared its aim to create a commercial-scale storage solution for climate-neutral hydrogen. The company has been experimenting with hydrogen storage in porous rock in Bavaria's Bierwang for several months now.
Experts anticipate that carbon-neutral hydrogen will play a significant role in a carbon-neutral economy. It could generate electricity in new gas power plants during periods of insufficient wind or solar power and replace coke in steelworks, significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions. A high demand for hydrogen storage facilities is projected in Germany in the future.
The hydrogen pipeline will be close to the cavern
Verbund, a nationalized energy company due to the energy crisis, considers itself a trailblazer in establishing a hydrogen economy in Europe. In Germany, Sweden, the UK, and the Netherlands, Verbund has substantial projects underway. For instance, it plans to construct a large electrolyzer for hydrogen production and a green ammonia import terminal in Wilhelmshaven, approximately 70 kilometers from Krummhörn. The location of the cavern is beneficial, as the planned hydrogen pipeline backbone is expected to pass close by.
Uniper isn't the first company to conduct hydrogen storage tests. For instance, Oldenburg energy company EWE has been exploring the operation of a hydrogen storage facility using a test cavern in Rüdersdorf near Berlin for some time.
The climate significantly impacts the storage and behavior of hydrogen, as Uniper's tests in porous rock in Bavaria have shown. With a carbon-neutral economy heavily relying on hydrogen, the climate-neutral gas's storage under various conditions becomes crucial for its large-scale adoption in Germany.
