A
rock cavern storage facility, reportedly the first of its kind in the world,
has been inaugurated marking the start of the two-year test period, which will
run until 2024.
SSAB,
LKAB and Vattenfall are inaugurating HYBRIT’s pilot facility for fossil-free
hydrogen storage at Svartöberget in Luleå, Sweden.
The
facility is part of the HYBRIT initiative, launched in 2016 by SSAB, LKAB and
Vattenfall, which aims to create a fossil-free value chain from mine to
finished steel.
The
hydrogen storage facility aims to play a very important role in the overall
value chain for fossil-free iron and steel production.
According
to Vattenfall, producing fossil-free hydrogen gas when there is a lot of
electricity, for example when it is very windy, and using stored hydrogen gas
when the electricity system is under strain, will ensure a steady production of
sponge iron, the raw material behind fossil-free steel.
“Sweden
will create new jobs by leading the climate change transition, and HYBRIT is a good example of doing just that with
green technology and innovation. When we build the energy system of the future,
we need to both take advantage of opportunities to store energy and ensure that
large energy users can be flexible in their consumption. This is exactly what
HYBRIT does through its unique hydrogen storage”, stated minister for energy
and digital development Khashayar Farmanbar.
Facility
Construction
of the hydrogen gas storage facility began in May 2021. Hydrogen storage will
be tested in the facility using technology known as LRC (Lined Rock Cavern).
The
gas is stored underground in a rock cavern, the walls of which are lined with a
selected material as a sealing layer.
The
fossil-free hydrogen gas is produced by water electrolysis using fossil-free
electricity.
For
this process, Vattenfall emphasises the important of building in rock of a type
that maintains its good qualities. For example, the bedrock in Svartöberget
consists mainly of amphibolite with elements of pegmatite and red granite.
The rock cavern in
Svartöberget, where the gas is stored, is about 30 metres below ground level
and 100 metres from the entrance.