Ministry publishes decision on hydrogen storage permit

The Ministry of Climate and Green Growth (KGG) has taken an important step in the energy transition. On Tuesday, June 24, the first hydrogen storage permit in the Netherlands was granted to EnergyStock for the proposed hydrogen storage facility at Zuidwending.

The granting of the storage permit does not mean that hydrogen will actually be stored yet. This permit is the first formal step in a longer process.

With the storage permit, EnergyStock obtains the exclusive right to develop hydrogen storage in salt caverns on the west side of EnergyStock's existing gas storage activities (the proposed HyStock caverns) in collaboration with Nobian.

The storage permit has been granted for a period of 35 years.

The State Supervision of Mines (SodM), the province of Groningen, the Mining Council, RVO, and TNO-AGE have given their advice on the application. Partly on this basis, the ministry has decided to grant the permit.

This decision will not result in any immediate physical changes to the surrounding area. In order to ultimately enable storage, additional permits are required, such as:

• a storage plan
• a project decision
• various environmental permits

The decision to grant the storage permit is public and can be found in the Government Gazette and on the Mining Permits website (in Dutch). A reasoned objection can be submitted to the Ministry of KGG within six weeks of the date on which the decision was published.