UK Oil & Gas PLC has announced plans for a second underground salt-cavern hydrogen storage facility in south Dorset through its subsidiary UK Energy Storage.
The project aims to provide between 6.5 and 10 Terawatt-hours of working storage annually, which could meet 10-20% of the UK’s projected hydrogen storage needs by 2050.
The company has secured a 60-year lease for land and subsurface mineral rights in an area with the thickest onshore Triassic salt deposit in Dorset. The location’s proximity to planned hydrogen infrastructure, including SGN’s H2 Connect pipeline, positions it as a key component of the emerging southern UK hydrogen super-cluster.
UK Energy Storage will now move forward with finalising the lease agreement, completing design studies, and preparing to submit a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project planning application.
The company also intends to apply for government Revenue Support for at least one of its Dorset sites, underlining the strategic importance of these facilities in the UK’s future energy landscape.
“UKEn’s new Dorset site is optimally placed to exploit the thickest part of the onshore Dorset Triassic salt deposit, permitting large underground caverns to be emplaced via a modest sized surface facility,” said Stephen Sanderson, UK & Oil and Gas Chief Executive.
“Its proximity to SGN’s H2 Connect pipeline is deliberate and will ensure storage can be directly linked to the planned Solent Cluster and wider Southern UK hydrogen networks.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with government to develop these strategic UK energy infrastructure assets and to help make the 2030 UK power decarbonisation target a reality.”