Ines launches Germany-wide survey on H2 storage requirements

03.04.2025

Source: E & M powernews

The Energy Storage Initiative has launched its market survey called "MAHS". The association wants to know the demand for hydrogen storage across Germany.

"MAHS" stands for "Market Assessment for Hydrogen Storage" - the name says it all: with the market survey launched on April 2, the Initiative Energien Speichern (Ines) is collecting data on the specific demand structures for hydrogen storage and requesting information for investments in the development of these storage facilities.

As the association emphasizes, the participants in the survey not only provide important impetus for necessary investments in hydrogen storage systems, but also communicate their specific hydrogen storage needs to the association. The survey is intended to provide market players with "the best possible access to hydrogen storage capacities" in the future. As the association announced in February, the results will be made available to all storage operators and the relevant regulatory authorities, such as the Federal Network Agency, on a non-discriminatory basis (we reported).

The query is based on a legal requirement under Article 8 of the EU Regulation on internal markets for renewable gases, natural gas and hydrogen from the EU gas package. According to this regulation, storage operators must carry out a market assessment for investments in storage facilities for renewable and low-carbon gases - including hydrogen - at least every two years and inform the regulatory authorities of the results.

"The 'MAHS' makes a significant contribution to resolving existing uncertainties and thus creates an important basis for decision-making for politics and industry in order to drive forward the development of necessary hydrogen storage facilities in Germany and enable the efficient development of a hydrogen infrastructure," emphasized Ines Association Managing Director Sebastian Heinermann at the launch of the survey, which runs until 31 May this year (see info box).

As a next step, Ines expects politicians to set out a market framework in the planned hydrogen storage strategy that guarantees investment security for storage operators. Heinermann: "We recommend transferring the idea of contracts for difference to the area of hydrogen storage. Contracts for difference are a way of keeping regulatory intervention to a minimum in order to create investment security and at the same time maintain the market economy perspective for an area that - unlike the hydrogen network - is not a natural monopoly."

The "MAHS" survey

The "Market Assessment for Hydrogen Storage" was launched on April 2 and will run until May 31, 2024. The survey is aimed at companies from Germany and abroad that intend to enter the hydrogen storage market in Germany - such as importers, trading companies, hydrogen network operators, industrial companies and municipal utilities.

Companies must register online to participate. Once the registration has been checked for plausibility, Ines will send an individual access link to the market survey - usually on the same working day. Participation is possible in German and English.

According to Ines, it is not absolutely necessary for companies to be able to quantitatively estimate their own hydrogen storage requirements in order to take part in the market survey. In addition to direct information, the survey also provides indirect ways for companies to communicate their hydrogen storage requirements by providing information on the volume of hydrogen and its intended use.

In the past, individual storage operators, such as EWE and Gasunie subsidiary Hy Stock, have already surveyed the market. According to Ines, it intends to use the experience gained from these surveys when conducting its market survey.

Ines is an association of operators of German gas and hydrogen storage facilities. With currently 16 members, the association represents over 90 percent of German gas storage capacities and around 25 percent of all gas storage capacities in the EU. The members are involved in numerous projects, including the development of underground hydrogen storage facilities.

Author: Davina Spohn