EWE Successfully Passes H2 Leak Test After Cavern Conversion

EWE has reached a significant milestone in the conversion of an existing natural gas cavern into a hydrogen storage facility at the Huntorf gas storage site in the Wesermarsch region of Lower Saxony: The technically adapted borehole has passed the leak test, first with nitrogen and then with hydrogen. This fulfills a key requirement for future hydrogen storage. From 2028, approximately 16 million standard cubic meters of hydrogen will be able to be stored there. The project aims to make the supply, particularly to industrial customers, more reliable.

Since hydrogen is the smallest atom in the periodic table, the leak tightness of such a cavern is of particular importance. For the conversion of the existing natural gas reservoir, the existing boreholes were therefore equipped with special cement and additional sealing elements.

Peter Schmidt, Managing Director of EWE GASSPEICHER GmbH, emphasized the importance of this milestone for climate-neutral energy supply upon completion of the tests. He stated that this demonstrates how existing energy infrastructure can be further developed for the climate-neutral energy supply of tomorrow. "Hydrogen storage facilities create an important buffer between production and consumption. They provide hydrogen on demand and thus strengthen security of supply," explained Schmidt.