Assessing the regional demand for geological hydrogen storage: building a strategic case for investment in the east coast cluster

Hydrogen will play a central role in the UK’s journey towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. However, it faces significant barriers to its widespread adoption such as the current lack of hydrogen infrastructure, including in storage networks. Addressing these barriers will require concerted efforts from policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers to overcome technological, economic, and regulatory hurdles and unlock hydrogen’s full potential. This study presents a cluster-specific assessment of hydrogen storage demand and capacity in the East Coast Cluster (ECC). Through an analysis of likely hydrogen demand and storage requirements, and an assessment of potential capacity offered by salt cavern storage, a comprehensive evidence base to support the case for change associated with long-duration energy storage (LDES) was established. The ECC is found to have an estimated hydrogen storage capacity of 22-48 TWh, dependent on the input parameters and risk tolerance applied. While the storage capacity is likely to meet 2030-2035 storage targets, longer term 2050 storage targets will exceed the available capacity. Furthermore, while this study presents a significant volume of storage capacity in the region, the range shows represent an approximately 70-90% reduction on published estimates. In demonstrating the case for the ECC, where the situation appears to be most optimistic, the findings should be viewed in the context of the even greater challenge of ensuring a national LDES capacity, delivered at the scale and pace required to meet demand. Therefore, minimum regret interventions, such as strategic planning and further development on demonstrator storage projects, are recommended with urgency, otherwise the required storage capacity will not be delivered on time.