Lhyfe has delivered 350kg of green hydrogen to natural gas expert Géométhane, for it to test inject the fuel into salt caverns at its Manosque site in the south of France.
The injection, which was completed within the day, is a key test for the next stage of a major project led by the DLVAgglo urban community and Géométhane, which aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of the Marseille-Fos-Sur-Mer industrial site (in the south of France), in particular using green hydrogen.
With this experiment, Géométhane, which currently stores natural gas in salt caverns, seeks to test inject hydrogen into these same caverns, in order to study how the gas behaves.
The hydrogen was injected into the natural gas system to reach a storage well and will remain there for observation for several weeks, before being extracted and analysed.
Storing the gas in salt caverns will contribute to local energy independence by helping to balance the production and use of different energy sources, Lhyfe said.
Hydrogen can then be extracted on demand to cope with peaks in consumption, or re-injected to store surplus energy supplied by nuclear power stations and renewable energy at times when energy use is lower.
Lhyfe founder and chief executive Matthieu Guesné said: “We are proud to be contributing to this trial, which demonstrates the extent of the possibilities offered by hydrogen, not only in terms of decarbonising mobility and industry, but also in terms of energy storage, which is a necessary component of our energy independence.
“As more and more sites begin to produce green hydrogen, the question of storage will become central. The use of salt caverns is a serious option being considered all over Europe.
“This trial will provide initial feedback on the subject.”