The company has been selected by Storengy to supply a hydrogen compression and tube trailer filling solution to the HyPSTER (Hydrogen Pilot STorage for large Ecosystem Replication) project in Etrez, France.

The project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of underground hydrogen storage, support the development of the hydrogen economy in Europe and ultimately lower the economy’s carbon usage.

Located northwest of Bourg-en-Bresse, the critical demonstration facility intends to assess, for the first time, the link in the hydrogen value chain for underground storage. It will also assess industrial-scale green hydrogen production and storage in salt caverns and the technical and economic reproducibility of the process to other sites throughout Europe.

As part of the development, Howden will supply a containerized high-pressure diaphragm compressor and a tube trailer filling station. The reliability, efficiency and safety delivered by Howden’s compression solution is matched with the large-scale hydrogen storage and distribution system requirements and will also meet storage injection, extraction and storage conditions.

The facility is France's leading natural gas storage site in salt caverns in terms of capacity. It will rely on local renewable energy (photovoltaic, hydraulic) to produce 400 kg of green hydrogen per day, the equivalent of the consumption of 16 hydrogen buses.

The project was launched earlier this year, with a subsurface and surface engineering study, which precedes the field-testing phase. It is supported by seven partners with complementary expertise: STORENGY, INERIS, Armines/Polytechnique, INOVYN, ESK, ELEMENT Energy, AXELERA.

Construction of the electrolysis unit for on-site green hydrogen production will commence in 2022.

"We are delighted to work with Storengy and their partners on the HyPSTER project and supply our compression solutions for this flagship project," said Salah Mahdy, Renewable Hydrogen Director at Howden. The expansion of a hydrogen ecosystem relies heavily on renewable energy infrastructure to unlock the potential of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source. Renewable energy sources have previously faced challenges due to their availability compared to market needs. Today, the potential of hydrogen is being examined and understood as a leading option for storing and utilizing renewable energy."