EUH2Stars - European Underground H2 STorAge Reference System Project

Hungarian Natural Gas Storage Ltd. is strategically committed to fostering the growth of the hydrogen economy. To this end, it aims to develop the capability to store hydrogen with high volume and purity in its designated storage reservoirs by the early 2030s. In order to achieve this goal, our Company has launched supporting projects from the early 2020s (Aquamarine, HyUsPRe) and plans to introduce further preparatory projects to establish feasibility.

Start: In early March 2023, HGS was invited by RAG Austria AG. to participate in the EU grant call for proposals HORIZON-JTI-CLEANH2-2023-1 for the implementation of a hydrogen-based storage project.  Our company developed the content of the project proposed for funding by relying on the results of the HyUsPre project, which studied the hydrogen resistance of the HGS storage reservoirs under laboratory conditions.

During the implementation of the project, HGS

o   HGS  supports the activities of the working groups set up to achieve the project objectives, and as its own task

o   prepares the Basic Engineering study for converting the smallest (B-2) storage reservoir of the Kardoskút UGS into a hydrogen storage facility,

o   sets up a test environment for the actual storage of hydrogen in the B-2 reservoir of the storage site (conversion of 1 well, establishing well piping and plant connections),

o   and then assesses hydrogen storage experience in the B-2 reservoir in 2 storage cycles.

Planned project implementation schedule:

o   Planned project start: 1st January 2024

o   Expected completion: 30 September 2029 (69 months)

Objective: The overall objective of the project is to study underground hydrogen storage (RAG Sun Storage). This includes not only assessing the potentials for expansion, but also formulating recommendations to effectively address all the environmental, legal and (future) regulatory, social and market aspects of underground hydrogen storage.