The UK’s most expansive gas distribution network, Cadent, in collaboration with Star Energy Group, British Geological Survey (BGS), University of Edinburgh, and Net Zero Strategy, has made substantial strides towards a greener future.
As part of the consortium called ‘EMstor,’ Cadent has secured funding from OFGEM/Innovate UK’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) for a study focused on the potential for geological hydrogen storage in the East Midlands area.
This innovative probe funded by the Discovery funding aims to reveal areas in East Midlands suitable for large scale geological storage of hydrogen gas. With Cadent’s future 100% hydrogen pipeline meant to be serving the area, the successful mapping of these geological formations could yield tremendous milestone for the region’s energy landscape.
The study, dubbed EMstor, is an integral step towards determining how to efficiently store hydrogen gas that could satisfy peak demand periods for industry and power generation parties connected to Cadent’s hydrogen-only pipeline. Furthermore, the pipeline would also allow for maximising low-carbon hydrogen production when renewable energy is aplenty. This stored energy, locked into hydrogen molecules, could later be harnessed by various industries.
Envisioned as the first of such studies in the area, the EMstor project will carry out competing assessments of the East Midlands geology to assess the feasibility of hosting storage technologies. Consideration will be given to several storage methods such as salt caverns, dedicated hydrogen pipelines, subsurface silos, lined rock caverns and shafts, and porous rock storage housing.
East Midlands, home to various depleted oil reservoirs, holds promise for hydrogen storage. Through repurposing these reservoirs, EMstor aims to facilitate an in-depth understanding of reservoir distribution and characterization, thereby painting a holistic picture of large-scale hydrogen storage potential in the region.
