THE IMPORTANCE OF LARGE-SCALE STORAGE FOR THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY

Catherine Gras, CEO of Storengy UK and Germany, examines the options Catherine Gras THE ROLE OF NATURAL GAS STORAGE TODAY Underground storage is a crucial component of today’s natural gas markets. Storage brings a number of benefits to gas users. A storage is a tool to manage efficiently volume and price risks, storing energy when it is less needed and when prices are lower, and taking it back when there is a higher consumption or when prices are higher. In addition to risk management, storage also allows to reduce the overall cost of the gas system and to manage temporary disruption in supply routes. Without storage, the gas sector would not have been able to develop strongly in Europe in recent decades, providing affordable and reliable energy to all end users. Today around 25% of the European gas consumption can be stored underground.   THE ROAD TO DECARBONISATION IMPLIES A GREATER NEED FOR STORAGE To reach their decarbonisation targets in 2030 and 2050, all European countries must change fundamentally their energy system, replacing fossil fuels by greener energy sources. For decades, our energy has been based on predictable production facilities, on predictable...