A Global Inventory of Underground Hydrogen Storage Sites and the Evolving Energy Landscape in the USA

A global compilation of UHS facilities in various stages of development from around the world was carried out by searching publicly available data such as government websites and reports, journal papers, conference abstracts, and other reports. Databases currently exist for underground natural gas storage (UGS) and carbon dioxide sequestration (CCUS) at national, regional, or global scales. Several papers and technical reports also list recent projects. Current projects through 2030 are presented in this presentation.

The rationale for creating UHS facilities is perhaps the most critical factor in UHS siting. The use case (i.e., business case) determines the scope of storage. In parallel with this, risk/reward considerations including cost go/no-go decisions by companies and governments are considered necessary. Producers and customers ideally should be near to or co-located with UHS facilities to minimize cost and risk.

In the absence of pilot-scale projects in the USA, the knowledge gap between the USA and the rest of the world continues to widen, especially for porous-rock storage. Sufficient background knowledge and experience in UHS exists, primarily in Europe and in international agencies, to manage the risks of pilot-scale or commercial UHS projects in the USA.

The energy landscape in the USA has undergone rapid and widespread change during the first year of the present administration. It appears to have stabilized in recent months, however, emphasizing oil-and-gas and geothermal energy sources while formally de-emphasizing renewables (solar, wind) at the federal level.

In the USA, public utilities are the direct providers of energy to the consumer. Utility planners, grid operators, and analysts maintain that wind, solar, and batteries are an important part of an evolving power system in which intermittent resources can be reliably scheduled and called upon using sophisticated software and other tools. The levelized cost of renewables is less than that of hydrocarbons, given their lower CAPEX and OPEX. This partly explains why renewables continue to grow as part of the energy mix. Automated markets are consistently choosing renewables whenever possible over other sources on an hourly basis because they are cheaper at the time the grid needs them.