German hydrogen underground storage will be in focus for Gasunie. The business joins the H2 CAST hydrogen storage pilot project in the Niedersachsen, Germany, state’s Etzel caverns.

The abbreviation for this transition is H2 CAST. Early in 2022, the project got underway with STORAG ETZEL as the primary partner. The goal is to make large-scale hydrogen storage possible in the salt caverns close to Etzel, Germany, in collaboration with Gasunie and a number of project partners.

Two of the existing salt caverns will be modified in the first step to make them suitable for storing hydrogen. The two hydrogen caverns will be connected by Gasunie using an above-ground installation. Through 2026, the pilot program is anticipated to continue. In the Netherlands, Gasunie is also involved with HyStock Hydrogen Storage’s underground hydrogen storage in salt caverns in Groningen.

Due to its ideal link to the Dutch and German hydrogen markets, proximity to Gasunie’s projected HyPerLink hydrogen network, and the Energy Hub Wilhemshaven, Etzel is a strategically important location for the storage caverns.

The state of Niedersachsen and the federal German government jointly fund the H2 CAST pilot project.