Straubing, 11.09.2024. The Straubing-based biotech company Microbify is supporting its long-standing customer RWE Gas Storage West in the construction of the first commercial hydrogen storage facility in Gronau, Westphalia. Microbify will provide microbiological support for this pioneering project.
Microbiological processes play an important role in the large-scale storage of hydrogen, as the energy-rich hydrogen molecules also serve as a food source for naturally occurring microorganisms. With newly developed methods for isolating and identifying microorganisms from gas storage facilities and the connected infrastructure, Microbify can reliably identify and predict microbial processes. Knowledge of these microbial processes enables operators to intervene in the processes by adjusting the operating parameters. This prevents damage (e.g. due to biocorrosion) and improves the economic efficiency of the systems. In the interests of forward-looking project planning, Microbify is supporting Germany's first commercial hydrogen storage facility right from the planning phase in order to take microbiological aspects into account during the construction of the plant.
Germany's first commercially used hydrogen cavern storage facility is part of the GET H2 initiative, which forms the core of a nationwide hydrogen infrastructure. Storage facilities are an important part of a future European infrastructure for green hydrogen. Information on the project is available at www.rwe-gasstorage-west.com/wasserstoff
The storage project was recently classified by the European Commission as an “Important Project of Common European Interest” (IPCEI). IPCEI projects are important cross-border infrastructure projects that connect the energy systems of European countries and are financially supported by the EU.
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