STORAG ETZEL and EnBW Secure Contract to Develop Major Hydrogen Storage Facility at Etzel Site

(IN BRIEF) STORAG ETZEL GmbH and EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH have secured a contract for the development of new hydrogen storage caverns at the Etzel site, which will have a total capacity of over one million cubic meters. EnBW will also plan the construction of an above-ground hydrogen facility at the site. The facility is expected to become a critical part of the hydrogen infrastructure, supporting hydrogen supply from the North Sea-Benelux corridor to south-west Germany. The final investment decision depends on securing a suitable regulatory framework. The project aims to make the Etzel cavern facility H2-ready by 2027, with plans for both new cavern development and conversion of existing oil and gas caverns to hydrogen storage.

(PRESS RELEASE) FRIEDEBURG-ETZEL, 11-Feb-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — STORAG ETZEL GmbH, an independent cavern storage provider, and EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH, a subsidiary of EnBW, have secured a contract for the creation and operation of new hydrogen (H2) storage caverns at the Etzel site. This agreement outlines the development of large-scale underground storage capacities across several new caverns, totaling more than one million cubic meters in geometric volume.

EnBW will also have the opportunity to plan the construction of a new above-ground hydrogen facility on the STORAG ETZEL premises, further expanding its footprint at the site. EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH has long been a partner of STORAG ETZEL, having operated an above-ground natural gas cavern facility at Etzel.

This new hydrogen storage facility at Etzel is poised to become a critical component of the H2 infrastructure, enabling hydrogen supply from the North Sea-Benelux corridor to south-west Germany. However, Peter Bux, Managing Director of EnBW Etzel Speicher GmbH, emphasizes that a final investment decision for the project hinges on securing a favorable regulatory and legal framework that would allow for the long-term viability of the hydrogen storage business model.

Boris Richter, Managing Director of STORAG ETZEL GmbH, underscores the importance of the Etzel site in the future hydrogen market in north-west Europe, with plans to make the cavern facility H2-ready by 2027. This will involve both the development of new caverns and the conversion of existing oil and gas storage caverns into hydrogen storage facilities.

Currently, the Etzel cavern facility has 75 caverns used for oil and gas storage, with the potential to expand up to 24 additional caverns, some of which are already partially developed. Two caverns are currently in test operation for hydrogen storage, and each cavern could hold up to 800,000 m³, with a hydrogen capacity ranging between 200-250 GWh H2 per cavern.

As hydrogen becomes an increasingly vital component of a sustainable energy system, particularly for industrial decarbonization, the role of hydrogen storage facilities like those at Etzel will be crucial. STORAG ETZEL and EnBW are committed to contributing to the development of this critical infrastructure, which is expected to play a significant role in Germany’s transition to a climate-neutral economy.

STORAG ETZEL:
Armin Garbe
Press and Public Relations
Tel: +49 (0)4465 809 201
Telefax: +49 (0)4465 809 329
Mob: +49 (0)151 1500 2800
E-Mail: armin.garbe@storag-etzel.de
Website: www.storag-etzel.de

———-

First published in this link of EuropaWIRE.