Our types of storage facilities

As an active player in the energy transition, Storengy offers innovative energy storage solutions to its industrial customers anywhere in the world. In France, Germany and the United-Kingdom, Storengy designs, develops and operates three types of underground storage facility for natural gas. Let's take a look at aquifer storage. When consumption is low, usually during the summer, gas is fed to the storage site through pipelines. The incoming volume is measured and, if need be, the gas is compressed. It then passes through a gas manifold. This set of valved conduits distributes the gas into buried pipelines that feed into wells scattered around the facility. To ensure that the gas is safe and securely contained the wells are systematically protected, both on the surface and underground. The gas is then injected through metal tubes measuring roughly 10 centimeters in diameter into the aquifer, a layer of water-bearing permeable rock at a depth of between 450 and 2,000 metres and extending for several kilometres. In some cases, the gas is injected into a former oil or gas reservoir, this scenario is referred to as "depleted reservoir storage". Since the pressure of the gas exceeds the water pressure, the water is displaced and the gas takes its place and some other rocks' pores, without disrupting the natural structure of the subsurface. The resulting reservoir is topped by a layer of impermeable rocks that prevents the gas from escaping. It's containment as monitored via control well. When consumption is high, like in the winter, the ice is extracted from the reservoir when it rises naturally into the well, this lowers the pressure in the reservoir. Then it once again passes through the buried pipes to the manifold. Next, the gas stored underground is treated, being desulphurised to eliminate any traces of hydrogen sulfide and dehydrated to remove the water it contains. This water, or "draw-off effluent" is collected and then treated. It's the pressure of the gas is insufficient to power the transmission system, it is compressed the safety reasons the gas is odorised. Its quality is then checked in the laboratory. Once the volume of the outgoing gas has been measured, it is channelled into the transmission pipeline. All operations are run remotely from the control room. The extensive capacity and local rootedness of aquifer storage facilities enable them to reliably deliver a steady supply of natural gas throughout the year. They are necessary for covering essential needs during winter peaks in consumption and thereby guarantee security of supply across the area they serve. With an eye to the future, Storengy is already thinking of storing renewable gases in its reservoirs, keep pace with the energy transition.

As an active player in the energy transition, Storengy offers innovative energy storage solutions to its industrial customers anywhere in the world. In France, Germany and the United-Kingdom Storengy designs develops and operates three types of underground storages facility for natural gas. Let's take a look at salt cavern storage. When consumption is low, usually during the summer, gas is fed to the storage site through pipelines. The incoming volume is measured and, if need be, the gas is compressed. It then passes through a gas manifold. This set of valved conduits distributes the gas into buried pipelines that feed into wells scattered around the facility. To ensure that the gas is safe and securely contained, the wells are systematically protected both on the surface and underground. These wells contain metal tubes measuring roughly 10 centimetres in diameter, which lead into artificial caverns leached out by injecting fresh water into a totally impermeable layer of salt at a depth of between 500 and 2,000 metres. The gas under pressure is channelled through these wells into the caverns, which serve as storage facilities. When consumption is high, like in the winter, gas is extracted from the caverns. When it rises naturally into the well, this lowers the pressure in the cavern. Then it once again passes through the buried pipes to the manifold. Next, the gas stored underground is treated, being dehydrated to remove any water it contains. This water, or "draw-off effluent", is collected and then treated. In some cases, if the pressure of the gas is insufficient to power the transmission system, it is compressed. For safety reasons the gas is odorised. Its quality is then checked in the laboratory. Once the volume of the outgoing gas has been measured, it is channeled into the transmission pipelines. All operations are run remotely from a control room. The extensive capacity and local rootedness of salt cavern storage facilities enable them to reliably deliver a steady supply of natural gas throughout the year. They are necessary for covering essential needs during winter peaks in consumption, and thereby guarantee security of supply across the area they serve. With an eye to the future, Storengy is already thinking of storing renewable gases in its caverns to keep pace with the energy transition.