LOSCHELDER advises the Dutch energy infrastructure company Gasunie on the contractual arrangements for securing large-volume hydrogen storage facilities in the Etzel salt dome in Lower Saxony.
LOSCHELDER advised Gasunie on the conclusion of a contract for large-scale hydrogen storage in Germany. Gasunie and Patrizia/Storag Etzel want to develop caverns for hydrogen storage in the Etzel salt dome in Lower Saxony. Following a feasibility study, the aim is to develop and operate a multi-chamber storage facility with a total capacity of up to one terawatt hour of hydrogen.
Hydrogen will play an important role in the future energy system, particularly in making industry more sustainable. Large-scale hydrogen storage is crucial for a well-functioning hydrogen market. In the Netherlands, Gasunie has now started developing underground hydrogen storage facilities in the Northern Netherlands (HyStock). In Etzel, Germany, Gasunie and Storag Etzel have already been working together since January 2023 as part of the H2CAST pilot project, in which hydrogen storage is being tested in two small existing caverns.
The new cavern development agreement with Patrizia/Storag Etzel is the next step for Gasunie in its ambition to develop hydrogen storage capacity to contribute to a smooth start of the hydrogen market in the Netherlands and Germany. Based on the new cavern development agreement with Storag Etzel, Gasunie will investigate the feasibility of a storage facility.
The location of the storage caverns in Etzel is strategically favourable, with a perfect connection to the Dutch and German hydrogen market, close to the future Gasunie hydrogen network Hyperlink and the energy hub port in Wilhelmshaven.
The LOSCHELDER team: Dr. Stefan Stock, MScRE, Dr. Nikolai Wolff, Carolin Nußbaum, LL.M., and Patricia Deryk
