A new alliance created in Brussels in January 2024, aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of Europe’s energy system at a lower cost to society by ramping up the deployment of underground hydrogen storage.
Members* of the H2eart for Europe alliance came together for a shared vision. That is to provide the hydrogen storage infrastructure necessary to achieve RePowerEU’s goals and other climate targets by 2030 and beyond. The alliance reckons that, currently, a considerable gap of 36 TWh exists between the identified flexibility needs and the projects scheduled for 2030. In order to bridge the gap, an investment of 18 to 36 billion euros is needed. It is quite urgent to speed up the implementation of hydrogen storage projects to cover the demand expected for 2030 and 2050.
The initiative is backed by Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič. According to him, “Thanks to alliances like H2eart for Europe, we can really use the European political weight, and the innovativeness of our business leaders. Collaboration around underground hydrogen storage is key in decarbonising and securing the European future.”
Storing to achieve the necessary flexibility
If the focus is shifted towards renewable energy, and in order to maintain a regular energy supply, it is necessary to have storage options to provide the necessary flexibility. In fact, the alliance affirms that “Hydrogen stands out as a crucial flexibility vector, particularly in the context of long-term energy storage required to bridge seasonal consumption differences.”
Members of this new alliance consider themselves as “the best-positioned entities to drive this substantial infrastructure development, and are committed to make a lasting change.”
*Gasunie, HGS, Nafta, OMV, Rag Energy Storage, RWE Gas Storage West, SNAM, Storengy, Terega, Uniper, VNG Gasspeicher
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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Mariem Ben Tili
