Storage of gaseous energy sources

RAG’s energy storage facilities are highly versatile. Their wide range of capabilities guarantees security of supply in Austria and Europe, and they hold the key to a green energy future. 

Conventional natural gas and, in future, increasingly green gas such as hydrogen will be stored sustainably, seasonally and in large volumes in our porous reservoirs for withdrawal at high capacity and at any time.

As a technical storage operator our task is the storage of gaseous energy sources and the utilization of reservoirs for sustainable energy storage.

With about 6.4 billion cubic metres (bn cu m) of gas storage capacity that can be drawn on rapidly around the clock, RAG Austria AG is Austria’s largest energy storage company and one of Europe’s leading storage operators. RAG operates around 6% of total gas storage capacity in the EU. 50% of our gas reservoirs have already been sustainably converted into gas storage facilities, which makes a major contribution to security of supply in Austria and Central Europe.

Efficient, sustainable and safe

Use of underground natural gas reservoirs is the safest and most efficient way of storing energy. Austria has geological structures that are ideal for gas storage.

New supplies can be stored in these formations, where gas accumulated naturally over millions of years, at depths of more than 1,000 metres. These former gas fields originated over 20 million years ago, when organic matter in the primeval ocean that occupied today’s Prealps was trapped by sandstone sediments. Over time, gas built up in the pores of the sandstone, forming gas reservoirs that can cover an area of several square kilometres. Clay strata several hundred metres thick overlie the gas reservoirs, and this natural insulating layer makes them an extremely safe means of underground storage. The proof of this comes from nature itself, since the original gas reserves were held there for millions of years.

Energy storage over the year

Natural gas is produced throughout the year, at roughly constant rates. Austria’s imports are transported along pipelines from Russia and Norway, and as LNG cargoes from all over the world. The amount of gas consumed by industry, power stations and households varies according to the season and time of day. Demand is much higher in winter than in summer, and more gas is used during the day than at night. Gas must be stored to ensure that it is available when needed. Storage injections and withdrawals in recent years have shown that withdrawal periods are lengthening, and that in future RAG’s storage facilities will be required to provide even more flexibility – also in order to compensate politically or technically unpredictable situations.

Sustainable Energy Mining

RAG has been using underground gas reservoirs to store energy for over 35 years. Expansion of gas storage in Upper Austria and Salzburg over the past 20 years has made these facilities a cornerstone of security of supply in Austria and Central Europe. Along the way, RAG has added a key link to its value chain and developed a sustainable form of energy mining. RAG has converted a large part of the gas reservoirs discovered over its 90-year history into storage facilities with long useful lives: today mainly for natural gas, and in the future for green gas and hydrogen. This is an outstanding track record by international comparison. The company is making a major contribution to tackling one of the biggest challenges faced by the energy sector: energy storability.

RAG’s energy storage facilities serve customers in Austria and abroad, and include joint projects with multinational energy companies. Storage capacity at RAG’s facilities is marketed by the company’s subsidiary RAG Energy Storage. RAG has the necessary resources, infrastructure and know-how to actively drive forward development and the expansion of cutting edge, carbon neutral energy solutions based on green gas. In addition, our storage facilities make a significant contribution to blackout prevention. Gas can be withdrawn from them at any time, even in the event of a power outage.