German energy service provider EWE plans to connect its gas storage site in Ruedersdorf, near Berlin, to the hydrogen core network that is being developed throughout Germany.

EWE has entered into a memorandum of understanding with gas grid operator Ontras Gastransport GmbH which outlines plans for connecting the site to the hydrogen start-up network in eastern Germany.

EWE said that it is already testing the option to store hydrogen on a small scale in an underground cavern in Ruedersdorf. The company is also evaluating the conversion or construction of new caverns at the location.

The Ruedersdorf storage site has a favourable geographical location within the Berlin metropolitan area, situated close to hydrogen pipelines. It could play a key role in the import of hydrogen from Poland and via the Northern Baltic Hydrogen Corridor to Germany. The site may be also utilised to provide storage for hydrogen production projects around Lubmin on the north coast of Germany.

Overall, the facility could support the secure supply to the capital region as well as to Berlin’s main PCK Schwedt refinery and ArcelorMittal (EPA:MT) steel plant.

EWE has been quite active in the area of green hydrogen. In September 2023, the energy company and JET H2 Energy agreed to establish a hydrogen filling station network in the northwest of Germany. The company is also working on other projects, including a 320-MW electrolysis plant on the North Sea coast, a 500-MW electrolyser in the Wilhelmshaven port and a 10-MW electrolysis facility in Bremen.