Constructions starts for large-scale hydrogen storage in HYBRIT Project

SSAB, Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB), and Vattenfall have commenced building a rock cavern storage facility for fossil-free hydrogen gas on a pilot scale next to HYBRIT’s pilot facility for a direct reduction in Luleå, North of Sweden.

As part of the joint initiative Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology (HYBRIT) Project, Hybrit Development AB is starting the construction of a hydrogen storage facility in Svartöberget to develop the technology for storage. Fossil-free hydrogen, which will replace coal and coke, is a crucial part of the production technique for fossil-free iron and steel production, where emissions of carbon dioxide will be virtually eliminated.

The 100 cubic meter hydrogen storage is being built in an enclosed rock cavern approximately 30 meters below ground. Building the storage facility underground provides opportunities to ensure the pressure required to store large amounts of energy in the form of hydrogen in a cost-effective way. The technology used is adapted to Scandinavian bedrock conditions and will now be developed further to handle the storage of hydrogen. The storage facility is being built according to the high safety requirements that apply and checked by the responsible authorities.

Hydrogen storages are predicted to play a very important role in future power and energy balancing, and in large-scale hydrogen production.  The storage facility is expected to be ready and operational from 2022 until 2024.

The investment cost of the project of just over SEK250 million (US$29.40 million) is divided equally across the holding companies and the Swedish Energy Agency, which provides support via Industriklivet.