Germany eyes role as European storage hub

Strategically located salt caverns can provide high volume storage for Germany and neighbouring countries, says Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection

Germany’s vast network of salt caverns has the potential to meet its domestic hydrogen storage demand and that of its European neighbours, according to a white paper published by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection. Demand for hydrogen storage is expected to grow rapidly in the coming decades on the back of growing use in industry and power generation, with seasonal fluctuations in renewable output emerging as a key driver. Germany’s storage requirements are expected to hit 2–7TWh by 2030, rising to 76–80TWh by 2045, according to the ministry. Europe-wide storage demand could hit more than 160TWh by 2050, it said. About 250 salt caverns are used in Germany to store oil a