It is a first in France! On Thursday 13 June, Lhyfe delivered 350 kg of green hydrogen to Géométhane, a natural gas expert. The latter intends to test hydrogen storage in salt caverns at its Manosque site in Southeastern France.

The first injection took place on the same day. This is a very important test for the next stage of the major project supported by the DLVAgglo conurbation authority and Géométhane, which aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of the Marseille-Fos-Sur-Mer industrial site, in particular through the use of green hydrogen.

Until now, Géométhane has only stored natural gas in salt caverns. Through this experiment, the group aims to study the behaviour of hydrogen, which will remain under observation for several weeks before being extracted and analysed.

Storing hydrogen in salt caverns : a promising solution?

Energy storage is paramount. It helps balancing the production and use of different energy sources. Stored hydrogen can be extracted on demand to cope with peaks in consumption, or re-injected to store surplus energy supplied by nuclear power stations and renewable energy when consumption is lower.

Consequently, hydrogen storage in salt caverns is another alternative to liquid and gaseous storage in tanks or to the various emerging solid storage solutions.

Lhyfe’s CEO, Matthieu Guesné, expressed the pride of his teams in contributing to this experiment. According to him, it “demonstrates the extent of the possibilities offered by hydrogen, not only in terms of decarbonising mobility and industry, but also in terms of energy storage, which is a necessary component of our energy independence.” He added that “The use of salt caverns is a serious option being considered all over Europe. This trial will provide initial feedback on the subject!”

Do you want to learn more about Lhyfe? Then our latest articles about the French company should interest you. You can access all our articles written about Lhyfe here.