February 11, 2025 [EnBW]- The independent provider of cavern storage facilities, STORAG ETZEL GmbH, and the EnBW subsidiary EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH have secured a contract for the construction and operation of new hydrogen (H2) cavern storage facilities at the Etzel site.

The agreement entails the development and long-term operation of large-scale hydrogen storage capacities in several new underground caverns with a geometric volume of over one million cubic metres.

Additionally, the EnBW subsidiary will have the opportunity to plan a new above-ground hydrogen facility on the premises of STORAG ETZEL.

By doing so, EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH is setting the course to expand its commitment at the Etzel site, where it has been a long-standing partner of STORAG ETZEL and the operator of an above-ground facility for natural gas caverns at the Etzel cavern site.

The Etzel H2 storage site would be a significant enhancement of the H2 infrastructure for the hydrogen supply from the North Sea-Benelux corridor to south-west Germany. ‘A final investment decision now requires a regulatory and legal framework that enables the hydrogen storage business model. In particular, securing the initial high investments over the long operating period cannot yet be realised on the market in the foreseeable future,’ says Peter Bux, Managing Director of EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH. EnBW refers here to the upcoming shaping of the market and investment environment by politicians and the regulatory authority, which must take this into account.

‘The Etzel site plays an important role in the H2 market ramp-up in north-west Europe. Together with our site partners, we are working continuously to make the Etzel cavern facility H2-ready’ by 2027,’ says Boris Richter, Managing Director of STORAG ETZEL GmbH.

In the long term, this includes both the construction of new caverns and the conversion of existing oil and gas caverns to hydrogen storage. The Etzel cavern facility currently comprises 75 caverns for oil and gas storage. There is potential to expand 24 caverns, some of which have already been partially developed. Two of these caverns are already in test operation for hydrogen storage. A typical cavern in Etzel can have a geometric cavity volume of up to 800,000 m³ due to the very good geology on site. This corresponds to a hydrogen capacity of 200-250 GWh H2 per cavern.

Hydrogen can play a central role in the future energy system, particularly in making industry more sustainable. For a well-functioning hydrogen market, appropriately designed hydrogen storage is of crucial importance. STORAG ETZEL and EnBW aim to contribute to this important development. The cavern field in Etzel can become a key component of the future hydrogen energy economy, helping to meet the energy needs of a climate-neutral Germany.

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