Project description
Building a battery out of solid rock
Europe is adding wind and solar power faster than ever, but all that energy needs to be stored until it is needed. Turning this power into hydrogen is the best way to store it long-term. Currently, natural salt caves are used to hold it. The EU-funded HyCavern project aims to mine caverns directly into common hard rock. By sealing these spaces with specialised liners and using automated construction, they are turning ordinary underground rock into high-pressure warehouses for hydrogen. This approach opens up energy storage for regions that were previously ‘off the map’. Making these caverns safer and cheaper to build will create a reliable backup for the power grid.
Objective
Large-scale underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is emerging as a key enabler for balancing renewable energy supply and demand. Yet many regions lack the suitable geology needed for conventional UHS. HyCavern responds to this gap by developing cost-effective, safe, and standardized solutions for H2 storage in mined, lined rock caverns (LRC). By tackling key technical, economic, and geological challenges, HyCavern unlocks scalable hydrogen infrastructure in areas previously considered unsuitable and increase the lifespan of storage caverns. The project will:
- Mitigate cyclic load- and hydrogen-specific risks - such as embrittlement, fatigue, and leakage - through advanced material innovations (steel, concrete) and predictive modeling for long-term performance.
- Automate cavern construction and maintenance with a mobile robotic system that combines laser welding and coating, reducing personnel costs, increasing safety, and enabling in-situ repairs.
- Adapt cavern designs to diverse European lithologies by integrating geomechanical/geochemical experiments, large-scale validations, and advanced simulations.
- Implement conformance-based monitoring tools to detect early deviations from safe operational parameters and support proactive risk management.
- Quantify economic value across storage use cases through comprehensive techno-economic analysis, highlighting key requirements for the technology’s competitiveness and identifying cost drivers.
- Conduct techno-economic analyses across diverse storage use cases to quantify the economic benefits for each application while identifying key requirements for the technology’s competitiveness.
- Deliver a practical, replicable guideline tool to assist Storage System Operators (SSOs) in fast-tracking preliminary feasibility assessments and identifying LRC potential across Europe.
By reducing storage costs and enhancing energy security, HyCavern directly supports Europe’s transition to a resilient, decarbonized energy system.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geology lithology
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- natural sciences physical sciences optics laser physics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-JU-CLEANH2-2025
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
7034 Trondheim
Norway
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.