Infrastructure solutions company Costain is set to undertake the design for the Keuper Gas Storage Project (KGSP), an underground hydrogen storage facility in Northwich, Cheshire, UK.
Costain has been contracted by gas storage developer Storengy UK, which said that the work of the infrastructure specialist will guide its final investment decision on the project.
The facility will comprise 19 salt caverns and associated hydrogen treatment and transfer facilities. It is set to store around 400 million cubic metres (mcm) of hydrogen.
Storengy UK hydrogen director Paul Snary said: “The Keuper Gas Storage Project is a key initiative which, as part of the wider HyNet system, will help decarbonise both industry and energy generation in the Northwest of England and beyond.”
“This is a long-term project involving many local and regional stakeholders, and we’re looking forward to drawing on Costain’s expertise and long track record in this space to ensure the engineering and constructability designs meet the requirements, before progressing towards EPCM [engineering, procurement, and construction management] contracts.”
The project’s first front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract will explore solution mining techniques to create the storage caverns.
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By GlobalDataThis process involves pumping water deep underground to dissolve salt and then extracting the resulting brine solution. The salt solution will then be transported to local customers through existing pipelines.
The second FEED will concentrate on the necessary gas storage facilities to integrate with the HyNet system, which is a combination of new and existing hydrogen infrastructure across north-west England and North Wales.
Costain’s design will address the hydrogen’s transportation, compression, and storage within the caverns, as well as its reintegration into the HyNet system.
The company’s work is slated for completion by 2026.
According to Costain, it has a history of nearly two decades on the Holford brinefields and experience in constructing gas storage facilities such as the Stublach solution mining plant.
The company has also been actively involved in hydrogen infrastructure for over 60 years. Its portfolio includes advisory and delivery projects on hydrogen usage, storage, and production, including a study for Wales and West Utilities on integrating hydrogen refuelling stations into the UK’s gas network.
Costain natural resources managing director Sam White said: “This is an exciting project that will enable a transformative hydrogen storage facility to improve the UK’s energy resilience and economic prosperity in the north-west of England.
“We have decades of experience in delivering salt cavern gas storage facilities, and we’ll apply this knowledge to the rapidly growing hydrogen economy, designing safe and secure storage systems that will be critical to creating a sustainable future.”
Last month, Costain secured a contract to design a high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) advanced fuels facility for Urenco.
