Framework for Underground Hydrogen Storage Site Selection

⚡ AI Executive Summary

Researchers have developed a transparent decision-support framework for evaluating the suitability of underground geological formations for hydrogen storage, addressing a critical bottleneck in deploying long-duration energy storage systems. The framework integrates efficiency, cost, and risk considerations through measurable proxy parameters—including permeability, depth, and infrastructure density—to identify sites that meet minimum technical and economic thresholds. When applied to oil and gas fields in the Irish Sea Basin, the approach successfully identified candidate locations. For grid operators and energy planners, this work simplifies a traditionally opaque selection process that has hindered investment in large-scale hydrogen storage. By making site suitability criteria explicit and quantifiable, utilities and developers can accelerate project evaluation and reduce uncertainty in long-duration storage deployment. The framework's transferability to carbon storage and geothermal applications broadens its utility for the broader energy transition, offering a reusable methodology that could standardize how jurisdictions screen subsurface assets for energy infrastructure.