EAKR – Preliminary Assessment of Potential Bedrock Sites for Hydrogen Storage

Introduction

The goal of the Preliminary assessment of potential bedrock sites for hydrogen storage – project is to discover bedrock blocks within the Northern Ostrobothnia region, potentially suitable for hosting underground hydrogen storage.

Due to changing wind conditions, power production in Wind Power plants varies significantly. Therefore, there is a need to develop technology to store the produced energy in order to balance the seasonal energy demands. This can be done through power-to-gas technology, where excess energy is used to generate hydrogen gas, and the generation is coupled with hydrogen storage.

Hydrogen is difficult to store due to its low volumetric energy density, and the bedrock itself does not prevent its mobilisation. Accordingly, the only option in Finland is a lined rock cavern (LRC), where H mobilisation is prevented by technical solutions and the bedrock provides a stable host for the facility.

From the circular economy point of view, the rock material formed from the hydrogen storage facilities that may be mined in the selected areas should be put to good use instead of ending up as waste. The investigation of the aggregates and utilization options of the selected areas will enable a cost-effective and sustainable use of natural resources.

The project is funded by European Regional Development Fund.

The project is led and implemented by GTK.

Contact person: Heidi Laxström

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