These compressors form a central component for future large-scale hydrogen storage in a converted natural gas cavern. EWE aims to store hydrogen in this from 2027. From that time, the green gas will be available when it is needed, not when it is produced. Large-scale hydrogen storage will thus improve the secure and flexible supply of future hydrogen users.
The project is an essential step towards integrating green hydrogen technology into the existing energy infrastructure and a key project for the energy transition. NEUMAN & ESSER and EWE are thus jointly making a significant contribution to the security of supply and the ramp-up of a hydrogen economy.
“We are very pleased that we can make a decisive contribution to the development of the green hydrogen economy in Germany by supplying the centerpiece of the hydrogen storage facility,” says Jens Wulff, Managing Director of NEUMAN & ESSER Deutschland, “and that the funding commitments made by the German government and the state of Lower Saxony last summer for the EWE ‘Clean Hydrogen Coastline’ project have paved the way for strategically important projects such as this one. The signing of the contract with EWE shows our determination to realize these major projects quickly.”
Hydrogen Storage to Stabilize the Energy Supply
EWE is converting one of seven underground natural gas caverns at its cavern site in Huntorf in the Wesermarsch region for the storage of hydrogen. The Huntorf project is part of the large-scale “Clean Hydrogen Coastline” project. This brings together the production, storage, transportation and use of green hydrogen and thus implements the political requirements. EWE received the funding approval for the four-part large-scale project as part of the European IPCEI program (Important Project of Common European Interest) in summer 2024. EWE is currently in the detailed planning phase and intends to store and release hydrogen in the next two to three years.
Proven Technology for Innovative Applications
The awarding of the compressors to NEUMAN & ESSER is a decisive milestone in the realization of the project. The family business was chosen for its extensive experience and technical expertise. The compressors play a central role in storing and releasing hydrogen from the cavern, ensuring maximum safety and efficiency.
Research for Applicability to Wesermarsch Cavern
EWE has proven that hydrogen can be stored safely in salt caverns in a pilot project at its gas storage site in Rüdersdorf near Berlin. EWE is now applying the knowledge gained from the construction and operation of the 500 cubic meter test cavern to caverns with a volume 1,000 times larger, such as the one in Wesermarsch. “Our aim is to establish large-scale caverns for hydrogen storage. With 37 salt caverns, EWE alone has 15 percent of all German cavern storage facilities that are suitable for storing hydrogen,” says Peter Schmidt, Managing Director of EWE GASSPEICHER.
