Storengy, a unit of the ENGIE Group, selected Elogen’s membrane electrolyzer technology for the Etrez site as part of the HyPSTER underground green hydrogen storage project. Elogen will design and produce the 1 MW Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer and install it at the site in 2022.
The Etrez site is France’s leading natural gas storage site in salt caverns in terms of capacity. The facility will use local renewable energy (photovoltaic, hydraulic) to produce 400 kg of green hydrogen a day. The green hydrogen will be stored in the salt cavity at 2 to 3 tonnes initially until its entire 44-tonne capacity is utilized. The experimentation with the storage and green hydrogen production will begin in 2023.
Jean-Baptiste Choimet, the CEO of Elogen said, “This new contract represents an important step for Elogen as it positions us in storage, which is a strategic link in the hydrogen value chain. Storengy’s choice of electrolysis technology developed by Elogen thus demonstrates the relevance and performance of membrane technology for producing hydrogen from renewable energies, and consolidates our collaboration with this major player in natural gas storage in Europe. The HyPSTER demonstrator will play a key role in supporting the development of the green hydrogen economy in Europe and we are particularly proud to associate our innovative technology with this major project.”
The HyPSTER project is coordinated by Storengy and supported by the European Union through funding from the Public-Private Partnership on Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH 2 JU).