John Max
12 May 2025
Germany Kicks Off Its First Big Underground Hydrogen Storage Project
Germany just took a bold step toward a cleaner energy future by starting to pump green hydrogen into underground salt caverns at the Storag Etzel facility in Lower Saxony. It marks the country’s first major pilot for large-scale hydrogen storage, and it’s already making waves.
The effort is part of the H2CAST project, with big names like Gasunie and Plug Power on board. They’ve repurposed two massive caverns—each the size of about 120 Olympic swimming pools (that’s 300,000m³)—which used to store oil back in the Cold War days. Now, they’re being switched over to store clean, green energy instead. In this first phase, they’ll be holding around 90 tonnes of hydrogen, but that’s just the start. Down the line, they’re aiming for a future goal of storing over 5,000 tonnes. Paving the Way for a Hydrogen-Powered Future
Everything’s on track to ramp up by Q2 2025, and this buildout plays a part in Germany’s broader goal—reaching 10GW of electrolyzer capacity by 2030. That’s ambitious, but this kind of infrastructure is exactly what’s needed to get there.
Right now, hydrogen is moving through existing gas pipelines as a blend—just 2% hydrogen mixed in with natural gas. But that won’t last long; full conversion of the pipelines to carry 100% hydrogen is already in the works and expected to be ready by 2026.
Why Salt Caverns? It’s All About the Seal
The choice of location wasn’t random. These salt caverns sit beneath a site that once stored strategic oil reserves—and they’re ideal for the job. The geological formation seals tight, which means minimal gas leakage, hovering at an ultra-low loss rate of just 0.01% per month. It’s a safe, efficient environment for storing hydrogen until we need it.
More Than Just Storage—It’s About Decarbonizing Industry
Beyond just ticking boxes on a checklist, this project lays the foundation for more hydrogen storage hubs across Europe. And the ripple effects could be huge. Industries like steel and chemicals, which are infamous for their heavy carbon footprints, will be able to tap into this growing hydrogen infrastructure to move toward serious industrial decarbonization. Read the full article here:- https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/germany-begins-first-hydrogen-salt-cavern-storage-project-to-unlock-scalable-green-hydrogen/8570837/?no_cache=1