HyPSTER : two new members join the project

The implementation of the renewable and free-carbon hydrogen salt cavern storage demonstrator “HyPSTER” continues with the integration of two new partners: Equinor and Brouard Consulting.

Both companies will provide new scientific expertise to the project: one via its competences in energy management, the other with its analysis capacities in the field of underground storage. 

Two players with complementary skills for the HyPSTER project

Equinor, a Norwegian oil and wind energy company, has joined the HyPSTER project. Considered as a major player in the energy transition, Equinor's mission is to perform bacteriological tests inside the main cavern and to provide technology watch regarding the purification systems. The objective? Provide the purest possible hydrogen when commercialising the hydrogen stored in the salt cavern subsequently to the HyPSTER research and development project.

Brouard Consulting is a consulting and engineering office founded in 1999, it is specialized in underground storage and provides services worldwide. This company is contributing its expertise to the HyPSTER project, in particular by carrying out numerical calculations to accurately model the thermodynamic behavior of the salt caverns and to control the mechanical stability of the surrounding rock mass. The contribution of Brouard Consulting will allow to reinforce the industrial safety of the project. 

Focus on HyPSTER project, an essential link in the development of the renewable and free-carbon hydrogen sector

This pilot for the underground storage of renewable and free-carbon hydrogen paves the way for the creation of a green hydrogen sector at industrial scale and its technical and economic replicability on other locations in Europe. It marks a new step towards flexible supply at large scale of renewable and low carbon energies. 

More informations about HyPSTER's project : https://hypster-project.eu/ 

About the partners 

About Storengy:
Storengy, an ENGIE subsidiary, is one of the world leaders in underground natural gas storage. Drawing on 70 years of experience, Storengy designs, develops and operates storage facilities and offers its customers innovative products. The company owns 21 natural gas storage sites with a total capacity of 136 TWh in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Storengy is also a key player in renewable gases (biomethane, hydrogen, syngas) and geothermal energy (power generation and heat/cold production). In the hydrogen sector, Storengy is a member of France Hydrogène (formerly AFHYPAC), as well as the association Hydrogen Europe.
Website : www.storengy.com

About Armines-Ecole Polytechnique: 
Armines is the largest French research structure oriented towards businesses, with 48 joint training centres (Ecoles-Armines), including Ecole Polytechnique. Ecole Polytechnique is the leading French institution combining top-level research, academics, and innovation at the cutting-edge of science and technology. With its 23 laboratories, the Ecole Polytechnique Research Center explores the frontiers of interdisciplinary knowledge to provide major contributions to science, technology, and society.
Website : www.armines.net
Website : www.polytechnique.edu

About INOVYN:
Formed on 1 July 2015 and part of INEOS, INOVYN is a vinyls producer that ranks among the top three worldwide. With a turnover above €3.5 billion, INOVYN has more than 4,300 employees and manufacturing, sales and marketing operations in ten countries across Europe. INOVYN’s portfolio consists of an extensive range of class-leading products arranged across Organic Chlorine Derivatives; Chlor Alkali; General Purpose Vinyls; Specialty Vinyls; Sulphur Chemicals; Salt; and Electrochemical and Vinyls Technologies. Annual production volumes are more than 40 million tonnes.
Website : www.inovyn.com

About ESK:
As a renowned engineering company for energy storage and energy system services, ESK GmbH has been successfully managing both national and international projects for many years. Our highly qualified team, mainly consisting of engineers and geoscientists, has many years of experience and extensive know-how, especially in the fields of porous rock and cavern storage technology. ESK employs a total of 80 people at the Holzwickede and Freiberg locations and in offices in Leipzig and Staßfurt, Germany. www.esk-projects.com

About Element Energy:
Element Energy is a low carbon, sustainability and consumer behaviour consultancy and engineering practice providing strategic advice, computational modelling, software development and engineering consultancy across the buildings, transport and power sectors for a broad range of clients.
Element Energy was recently acquired by ERM, a global sustainability consultancy practice with over 5,500 employees in 40 countries. ERM is the world’s largest pure-play sustainability advisory firm, a specialist energy consultancy that works with organizations to implement integrated low-carbon technology solutions that help solve their net zero and decarbonization challenges.
Website : www.element-energy.co.uk

About Ineris:
Ineris (National Institute for the Industrial Environment and Risks) is an industrial and commercial public Institute under the aegis of the Ministry of the Ecological Transition managing industrial and environmental risks. The institute carries out research activities requested by industrial operators and / or public authorities in the field of risk assessment, prevention and protection in connection with industrial activities, in particular in underground environments. It has developed over the years a solid expertise in the field of environmental risk assessment related to underground storage activities. Ineris has also large scale laboratories for H2 experiments and testing. This expertise is based on both experimental skills (particularly in situ), numerical modelling and risk assessment methods for health and the environment.
Website : https://www.ineris.fr/fr

About AXELERA Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: 
Axelera Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a French cluster at the crossroads of the chemical and environmental sectors. Axelera aims to help mature green hydrogen projects with its members from ideas to marketable products and processes as part of its more global commitment to developing sustainable, efficient, circular and clean solutions for industry. Axelera’s public-private network of 367 members gathers expertise in: • Materials, chemicals, equipment and system manufacturing and integration • Process engineering, industrial energy and resource efficiency, and regulatory compliance • Circular economy • Water, air, and soil depollution • Renewable raw materials • Digitalization of the process industries.
Website : www.axelera.org. 

About the Clean Hydrogen Partnership
The Clean Hydrogen Partnership – the successor of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) – aims to strengthen and integrate European Union research and innovation capacity to accelerate the development and improvement of advanced clean hydrogen applications ready for market, across energy, transport, building and industrial end-uses, while strengthening competitiveness of the Union clean hydrogen value chain. The three members of the partnership are the European Commission, fuel cell and hydrogen industries represented by Hydrogen Europe and the research community represented by Hydrogen Europe Research.
Website : europa.eu

Equinor 
Equinor is a broad energy company that develops oil, gas, and new energy solutions for today and tomorrow, turning natural resources into energy for people and progress for society. Equinor has nearly 50 years of experience developing oil and gas on the Norwegian Continental shelf and now operates in more than 30 countries. The company is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, listed on the New York and Oslo stock exchanges, and employs approximately 22,000 people worldwide.
Website : https://www.equinor.com

Brouard Consulting 
Brouard Consulting is a design office specialising in underground storage created in 1999 and operating worldwide. This company is contributing its expertise to the HyPSTER project, in particular by carrying out numerical calculations aimed at accurately modelling the thermodynamic behaviour of salt caverns and controlling the mechanical stability of the surrounding rock mass.
Website : https://www.brouard-consulting.com

This project has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (now Clean Hydrogen Partnership) under Grant Agreement No 101006751. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.