Rock space for storage of green hydrogen is taking shape in Sweden – pv magazine Australia
From pv magazine Global
waterfallthe Swedish steel company SSAB and the Swedish state miner LKAB announced that they have reached halfway in the construction of a rock storage facility for green hydrogen near Luleå, in northern Sweden.
“The various parts of the facility are now mostly in place,” the consortium said in a statement. Rock chambers and connecting tunnels have been built in the rock and a ventilation shaft has been drilled from the top of the rock down to the upper part of the rock chamber.
The three companies are investing a total of approximately SEK 200 million (AU $ 28.5 million) in three equal parts in the new facility and the Swedish Energy Agency is contributing SEK 50 million (AU $ 7 million). “Intensive work is currently underway to complete and inspect all installations, while the plant’s steel cladding is welded together in the cave,” the statement said.
The 100 cubic meter “Hybrit” facility will be built approximately 30 meters underground. It is expected to start operations in 2022 and will reach full capacity in 2024.
The cave is built via the so-called lined rock cavern (LRC) approach, which involves covering the cave’s walls with a selected material as a waterproofing layer.
A recent study by Jülich Institute for Energy and Climate Research (IEK-3) showed it salt holes offer a flexible, efficient alternative to hydrogen storage. The research group appreciates this Europe has the technical potential to store 84.8 PWh of hydrogen in bedded salt deposits and salt domes.
The IEK-3 researchers said that the proximity of the caves to the coast will be helpful, as well saline disposal remains economically up to 50 km from the sea.
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