Hydrogen storage potential of depleted oil and gas fields in Western Australia
Adam Craig, Stephen Newman, Peter Stephenson, Chris Evans, Shaun Yancazos, Simon Barber
Abstract
The global subsurface hydrogen storage industry is at an embryonic stage and is currently dominated by a handful of manufactured salt caverns worldwide. There are currently no known depleted oil or gas fields used to store pure hydrogen, although there are examples of hydrogen and natural gas mixtures. The Government of Western Australia has developed a renewable hydrogen strategy with a vision for Western Australia becoming a significant producer, exporter and user of renewable hydrogen. An element of the strategy and roadmap includes the possibility of utilising depleted oil and gas fields for transitory geological storage of hydrogen. The physical characteristics of hydrogen are quite different to natural gases and a number of potential loss mechanisms need to be considered for transitory geological storage. Currently, 30 renewable energy projects with associated hydrogen generation are proposed or being considered in Western Australia. It is assumed that some, if not all, of these projects may require transitory geological storage of hydrogen. An assessment of the required storage potential has been made and 23 onshore depleted oil and gas fields of the onshore northern Perth Basin and Carnarvon Basin were screened for their suitability to satisfy the storage requirements of a renewable hydrogen industry. Seven fields were then selected as suitable candidates for transitory hydrogen geological storage sites.