RAG bullish on hydrogen storage conversion

Austrian gas storage operator says trials with hydrogen stored in depleted reservoirs show no major issues with key steel and cement components

Austrian energy company RAG is confident its portfolio of European underground gas storage facilities could easily be converted to take hydrogen after trials showed no evidence of significant degradation of steel or cement components. Embrittlement of steel and deterioration of other key materials, such as cement, are widely cited as potential issues when repurposing natural gas infrastructure to take hydrogen. But RAG’s extensive trials show hydrogen injections and withdrawals from underground reservoirs had no significant impact on the facility’s materials, according to Markus Pichler, a hydrogen storage expert at RAG. “Ideally, you would just use your old gas storage facility, put hydroge