New hydrogen storage facility in Hamburg Metropolitan Region

Each cavern should hold about 7,500 tonnes of hydrogen, which covers the needs of a regional steel mill that consumes about 140 tonnes of hydrogen per day for two months, Storengy said. Salt caverns have proven to be suitable storage sites for gases due to their natural impermeability. Two caverns now used to store natural gas will be converted for H2 storage. As a result, the Stade region will become a hydrogen hub. Various projects along the entire hydrogen value chain are currently being carried out locally.

"Hydrogen storage facilities are the missing piece of the puzzle for connecting the import terminal, regional production using electrolysis, the ‘Hyperlink’ hydrogen transport network, the ‘Hamburg Green Energy Hub’ distribution network and consumption centres from the energy-intensive industry in the best possible way," said Ute Kück, Mayor of the joint municipality of Harsefeld near Stade. The future hydrogen storage facility is located in the centre of the European hydrogen core network "EU Hydrogen Backbone" in northern Germany, part of which is due to go into operation in 2028. This will connect the storage facility to the European transport network. The EU has designated the SaltHy flagship project for developing a green hydrogen economic sector “a project of common European interest” and a key element of Europe's energy transition.

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