EWE and Ontras have reached an agreement to connect the hydrogen storage facility in Rüdersdorf to the H2 grid for eastern Germany. This measure is part of a larger plan to expand the hydrogen infrastructure and promote the use of renewable energies.
Ontras wants to connect the EWE hydrogen storage facility in Rüdersdorf to the H2 starter network being built in eastern Germany, which will form part of the hydrogen core network. Specifically, the connection would be made to "doing hydrogen". The pipelines of the IPCEI project are to run between Rostock, the Leipzig-Halle region and the Berlin area as far as Eisenhüttenstadt.
In addition, connections to other hydrogen pipelines in the future Germany-wide H2 core network could open up a wide range of potential uses for the hydrogen storage system. For example, a connection to the Flow project of the gas transport network operators Gascade, Ontras and Terranets BW would be conceivable.
EWE gas storage
EWE's Rüdersdorf gas storage facility is in an ideal geographical location with its proximity to Berlin and the hydrogen pipelines of the hydrogen core network planned throughout Germany. It is also the first storage location for import and generation projects around Lubmin and for hydrogen from Poland or via the Northern Baltic Hydrogen Corridor. For example, the storage facility could supply the PCK refinery in Schwedt and the ArcelorMittal steelworks in Eisenhüttenstadt. The connection of hydrogen storage facilities such as EWE's in Rüdersdorf creates additional system stability and security of supply.
EWE is testing hydrogen storage on a small scale in Rüdersdorf. The "house-sized" test cavern will have a capacity of 6 tonnes of hydrogen. This research project is an important milestone in laying the foundations for future large-scale projects. In the future, it is highly conceivable that the site in Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg, will play a role in the expansion of the hydrogen storage infrastructure. However, the regulatory framework and funding programmes are still lacking. The site concepts for the construction of new caverns must also first be scrutinised by experts.
