Uniper’s HyStorage research project aims to investigate the influence of hydrogen on porous rock
formations in order to determine the feasibility and integrity of pore storage facilities for the storage
of hydrogen.
A specialised gas-technical unit for the storage test has been set up on a designated drilling site at Uniper Energy Storage’s Bierwang site. Commissioning is currently in progress and the first hydrogen will be injected from September onwards.
The storage test intends to inject different methane-hydrogen gas mixtures with a 5 %, 10 % and 25 %
hydrogen content into a smaller former natural gas reservoir in three operating phases. The gas will be withdrawn again after a standstill period of about three months. The storage horizon is independent of the existing Bierwang natural gas storage facility.
Doug Waters, managing director of Uniper Energy Storage, says: ‘Hydrogen plays a crucial role in our
new strategy and HyStorage is part of its execution. HyStorage is a promising project to test the
existing natural gas infrastructure for the potential transition to green hydrogen. It will also help
accelerate the energy transition while ensuring security of supply to our customers. The project will
provide insights into how porous rock storage and technical gas facilities will perform when the
hydrogen economy ramps up.’
He adds: ‘The demand for storage capacity will grow as renewables expand and real-life data is
needed to make informed decisions. Porous rock storage not only holds tremendous potential to
provide flexibility for the emerging hydrogen market, but also to connect to European hydrogen
corridors.’
Egbert Laege, CEO of SEFE, says: ‘HyStorage makes a contribution to the decarbonisation of our
business. Through HyStorage, we want to better explore the storage of gas-hydrogen mixtures in
underground storage, also with a view to potential investments in hydrogen infrastructure.’
Martin Bartošovič, CEO of NAFTA, says: ‘The NAFTA company is more than 110 years active in the gas
industry. We believe that hydrogen is one of the promising energy carriers and therefore we actively
support various projects focused on underground hydrogen storage. We perceive the HyStorage
project as unique project, where the injection of hydrogen in various mixtures with natural gas into
the underground storage will be tested. The results of the given project can have significant impact
on the further direction of hydrogen infrastructure.’
Individual investigation of each site is needed to store hydrogen in porous rock reservoirs.
The collected data will be analysed and evaluated. Reliable technical assessments for the storage potential can be expected as early as 2024.
