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

Also in this section
4 July 2025
Race is on to meet end-2027 deadline for 45V as Congress passes One Big Beautiful Bill Act
1 July 2025
Gas industry and EU politicians pile pressure on European Commission to provide more regulatory certainty on emissions calculations
27 June 2025
TotalEnergies’ delayed FID for its Venus project will likely set back first oil, but Windhoek has other irons in the fire
26 June 2025
Last year was one of records for renewables but also for oil, gas and coal, as the energy transition progresses in an increasingly uneven way, according to the Energy Institute’s latest annual report