Gasunie and Storag Etzel Begin Filling Hydrogen Caverns in Landmark Storage Project

Gasunie and Storag Etzel have commenced filling two underground salt caverns with hydrogen in Etzel, Lower Saxony, Germany, as part of the H2CAST pilot project.

Gasunie and Storag Etzel have begun collaboratively injecting approximately 90 tons of hydrogen into two pre-existing underground caverns. The initial supplies of renewable hydrogen, provided for Gasunie, are being delivered by Plug Power from its production site in Werlte, Germany, located about 90 km south of the Etzel storage location. In total, the project will see around 90 tons of hydrogen stored across the two caverns.

Gasunie has initiated the development of underground hydrogen storage facilities in the northern region of the Netherlands through its HyStock project. Meanwhile, in the German village of Etzel, Gasunie and Storag Etzel have been collaborating since 2023 on the H2CAST pilot project—an initiative designed to test the viability of storing hydrogen in two large existing salt caverns, each with a geometric volume of approximately 300,000 cubic metres. The long-term goal is to establish and operate a flexible underground storage system capable of holding up to 1 terawatt-hour (TWh) of hydrogen. The location of the cavern storage facility in Etzel is strategically favourable with a perfect connection route to the German-Dutch hydrogen market, near the future hydrogen core network and the energy hub in Wilhelmshaven.