Germany – RWE Gas Storage West has submitted planning approval documents to Arnsberg District Council as part of an amendment to the current general operation plan for the construction of a hydrogen storage facility in Epe, Gronau.
The Arnsberg District Government will swiftly publish the application documents after it has received and examined the approved documentation. RWE first announced the beginning of the approval process in April 2022, and then at a number of meetings, it presented the project to locals, decision-makers, and the general public.
Hydrogen cavern
By the end of 2026, the majority of Germany’s first commercial hydrogen cavern storage facility will be constructed on RWE’s current Kottiger Hook property. In contrast to the original plan, RWE declared in October of last year that it will add a second cavern to the proposed facilities, bringing the total to two caverns. Inside the designated assessment region for the environmental impact assessment is where the second cavern is situated. This is a step in the current approval process.
FID pending
RWE has submitted an application for funding under IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) Hydrogen to build the storage facility. RWE has not yet made a final investment decision, hence funding has not been approved. If a favorable decision is made at the European level, projects that will get national support include RWE’s hydrogen storage plant, which has been chosen by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
