Latest news with #UKOG
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dorset gas storage caverns: What you need to know
A company has settled on Dorset for the site of the UK's second series of underground storage caverns for hydrogen gas. But what does that mean, and why Dorset? To store gas the way the company, UK Oil and Gas (UKOG), is proposing, you first need to find a thick band of underground salt. Engineers can drill straight down and inject water to dissolve that salt, creating huge empty caverns. The brine can then be pumped out and gas can be pumped in to be stored for when it is needed. Dorset is one of only three areas on the UK mainland that has the geology needed to make this possible, according to the company. The salt the company is looking at lies about 0.8 miles (1.3km) underneath the surface. The exact location of the site has not yet been announced, but the company describes it as "west of Weymouth". Storing gas underground is nothing new, and is how most natural gas is safely stored in the UK. But the use of these caverns for hydrogen has been limited, with only one facility in the UK, located in Teesside in the North East of England. And a 2022 study from the British Geological Survey said the salt underneath Dorset is less well understood than other parts of the UK and has never been used to store gas. Local environmental campaigners have voiced concerns that this could lead to problems. "Hydrogen leaks very easily, and when it leaks, it's dangerous," said Ann Stewart, a member of Weald Action Group and local Green Party coordinator. "Especially if it comes into contact with oxygen, because that's when it's explosive. "I would like to see really stringent checks over leakage checks, and dealing with leaks very, very quickly." Ian Williams, professor of environmental science at the University of Southampton, echoed the concerns around explosiveness, while also describing hydrogen as "a powerful indirect greenhouse gas". He said: "Leakage during production, transportation, and storage can contribute to global warming. "The lack of information about this new location will not help in terms of limiting anticipated, legitimate public concern." Plans for gas storage caverns under a lough in Northern Ireland were thrown out last year by the UK Supreme Court, with campaigners arguing the salty discharges from the drilling process could create a marine dead zone. Ms Stewart said they had similar concerns. "Where would all that brine go? Because that is a protected coastline," she said. Stephen Sanderson is CEO of UK Energy Storage Ltd, a subsidiary of UKOG, and said once studies had been completed details of the project would be made available in a public consultation. "Dorset's Triassic salt deposit is well understood, with around a hundred boreholes and extensive seismic data coverage," he said. "It is of an equivalent geological age, stratigraphy, composition and thickness to the Triassic salt in the Cheshire Basin, where gas storage caverns have operated safely since 1984." The UK Climate Change Committee suggests that in the future, hydrogen generated with renewable energy could be stored and used to fill the gaps in the energy supply when wind and solar are not generating enough electricity. Hydrogen is also considered by the IEA an important potential fuel for the future of some industries that are harder to clean up. For example, replacing coal in steelmaking furnaces. However, most hydrogen produced in the UK today is produced from fossil fuels and is not considered low-carbon. UK Energy Storage Ltd previously said plans for a hydrogen storage facility in Dorset could service the nearby Solent cluster - a regional hub of industry partners, co-founded by Exxon Mobil, who claim they want to make industry in the area greener. The Solent cluster has plans for a hydrogen production plant at the Fawley refinery near Southampton. Local politicians, and environmental campaigners like Greenpeace, have accused it in the past of greenwashing - that is, misleading the public about the environmental benefits of the plans. UKOG said in a release that it hopes to see construction under way by 2030, with the first caverns being open for business between 2030-32. But that will be subject to regulatory approval - requiring a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Secretary of State - and will also depend on what financing is available. The company intends to bid for government revenue support for the project. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Plans for UK's largest gas storage caverns moved UK Oil & Gas
BBC News
09-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Weymouth hydrogen storage caverns: What you need to know
A company has settled on Dorset for the site of the UK's second series of underground storage caverns for hydrogen gas. But what does that mean, and why Dorset? One of three suitable locations To store gas the way the company, UK Oil and Gas (UKOG), is proposing, you first need to find a thick band of underground can drill straight down and inject water to dissolve that salt, creating huge empty caverns. The brine can then be pumped out and gas can be pumped in to be stored for when it is needed. Dorset is one of only three areas on the UK mainland that has the geology needed to make this possible, according to the company. The salt the company is looking at lies about 0.8 miles (1.3km) underneath the surface. The exact location of the site has not yet been announced, but the company describes it as "west of Weymouth". What could the impact be? Storing gas underground is nothing new, and is how most natural gas is safely stored in the UK. But the use of these caverns for hydrogen has been limited, with only one facility in the UK, located in Teesside in the North East of England. And a 2022 study from the British Geological Survey said the salt underneath Dorset is less well understood than other parts of the UK and has never been used to store environmental campaigners have voiced concerns that this could lead to problems."Hydrogen leaks very easily, and when it leaks, it's dangerous," said Ann Stewart, a member of Weald Action Group and local Green Party coordinator. "Especially if it comes into contact with oxygen, because that's when it's explosive."I would like to see really stringent checks over leakage checks, and dealing with leaks very, very quickly." Ian Williams, professor of environmental science at the University of Southampton, echoed the concerns around explosiveness, while also describing hydrogen as "a powerful indirect greenhouse gas". He said: "Leakage during production, transportation, and storage can contribute to global warming."The lack of information about this new location will not help in terms of limiting anticipated, legitimate public concern." Plans for gas storage caverns under a lough in Northern Ireland were thrown out last year by the UK Supreme Court, with campaigners arguing the salty discharges from the drilling process could create a marine dead zone. Ms Stewart said they had similar concerns. "Where would all that brine go? Because that is a protected coastline," she said. Stephen Sanderson is CEO of UK Energy Storage Ltd, a subsidiary of UKOG, and said once studies had been completed details of the project would be made available in a public consultation."Dorset's Triassic salt deposit is well understood, with around a hundred boreholes and extensive seismic data coverage," he said."It is of an equivalent geological age, stratigraphy, composition and thickness to the Triassic salt in the Cheshire Basin, where gas storage caverns have operated safely since 1984." Why hydrogen? The UK Climate Change Committee suggests that in the future, hydrogen generated with renewable energy could be stored and used to fill the gaps in the energy supply when wind and solar are not generating enough electricity. Hydrogen is also considered by the IEA an important potential fuel for the future of some industries that are harder to clean up. For example, replacing coal in steelmaking furnaces. However, most hydrogen produced in the UK today is produced from fossil fuels and is not considered low-carbon. UK Energy Storage Ltd previously said plans for a hydrogen storage facility in Dorset could service the nearby Solent cluster - a regional hub of industry partners, co-founded by Exxon Mobil, who claim they want to make industry in the area greener. The Solent cluster has plans for a hydrogen production plant at the Fawley refinery near Southampton. Local politicians, and environmental campaigners like Greenpeace, have accused it in the past of greenwashing - that is, misleading the public about the environmental benefits of the plans. When will work start on the ground? UKOG said in a release that it hopes to see construction under way by 2030, with the first caverns being open for business between that will be subject to regulatory approval - requiring a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Secretary of State - and will also depend on what financing is available. The company intends to bid for government revenue support for the project. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
30-01-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Dorset: Hydrogen storage cavern plans relocated from Portland
Plans for the UK's largest hydrogen storage caverns have moved to a new company behind the project had previously agreed to lease a site at the Port of Portland for the project, but are now proposing a new site west of Weymouth in Dorset. UK Oil and Gas PLC (UKOG) cited higher storage capacity and cost-savings of £450m as driving factors. The new plans are for 24 salt caverns drilled 1.3km underground, which the company said could store one billion cubic metres of hydrogen. The exact details of the new location have not been announced and a deal is yet to be agreed with the landowners. Salt caverns are widely used for storing natural gas, but there are only a small number in use worldwide for storing are formed by drilling deep underground, then pumping water to dissolve the salt and create a cavity. They can then be used to store and extract hydrogen to use as fuel. Hydrogen can be produced cleanly by splitting water using renewable energy sources like wind and solar the vast majority of hydrogen produced in the UK is "blue hydrogen" - meaning it's extracted from fossil fuels. That process releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2).Blue hydrogen relies on technologies that can capture and store that CO2. But a spokesperson for UKOG said the caverns would strictly be used to store green said in a release that it is also considering plans for a green hydrogen plant at Portland Port that could be linked to the new storage site. A spokesperson for the Port of Portland said: "We respect the reasons for the relocation decision and look forward to exploring the opportunity of a green hydrogen pilot plant here at the port." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
