German gas company VNG Gasspeicher GmbH, a subsidiary of VNG AG, has received EUR 61.1 million (USD 66.8 million) to convert a natural gas storage cavern into a hydrogen facility.

The funding comes under the EU’s Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program.

Titled GO! Speicher, the project involves transforming a natural gas cavern in Bad Lauchstädt, central Germany, to store 46 million cubic meters of hydrogen. According to VNG Gasspeicher’s managing director Bernd Protze, this initiative will create the first hydrogen storage cavern of its size in Germany.

The facility aims to supply hydrogen to several local industrial regions, aiding in decarbonizing their processes. VNG executive Bodo Rodestock emphasized the company’s commitment to investing in green gas infrastructures.