German utility EWE said Monday it had commissioned Bilfinger to supply a hydrogen processing plant for its planned large-scale underground storage facility in Huntorf, Lower Saxony.

Bilfinger will handle the engineering, installation and commissioning of the plant, including the first commercial deployment of its H2Dry hydrogen drying technology.

EWE is converting one of seven existing natural gas caverns at Huntorf to store around 16 million Nm3 of hydrogen, with injection and withdrawal capacity totalling 35,000 Nm3/h.

The facility is scheduled to begin operating in 2028, when it will also connect to Germany's hydrogen core network.

Huntorf forms part of EWE's Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI)-backed Clean Hydrogen Coastline project, which combines hydrogen production, storage, transport and use across northwest Germany.

EWE previously tested hydrogen storage in a 500 sqm salt cavern at Rüdersdorf and is applying findings from that project at Huntorf.

The Quantum View: Huntorf showcases how Germany's hydrogen infrastructure is beginning to connect across the value chain. 

EWE is developing production in Emden, pipelines through northwest Germany and now large-scale storage, while securing industrial demand from customers including Salzgitter. 

Storage will be particularly important for balancing variable hydrogen production and imports against industrial demand, though its cost remains a challenge for the emerging market.

Source:Quantum Commodity Intelligence