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
- HGS supports the activities of the working groups set up to achieve the project objectives, and as its own task
- prepares the Basic Engineering study for converting the smallest (B-2) storage reservoir of the Kardoskút UGS into a hydrogen storage facility,
- 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),
- and then assesses hydrogen storage experience in the B-2 reservoir in 2 storage cycles.
Planned project implementation schedule:
- Planned project start: 1st January 2024
- 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.