The Rough field in the Southern Permian Basin was originally a producing gas field, later repurposed for natural gas storage and now a target to be the largest hydrogen storage site in the UK. Despite this, few past studies have investigated the facies and mineralogy present in the sandstone reservoir, which is imperative to ascertain its suitability for hydrogen storage. We present new petrographic and facies characterizations of the Permian Leman Sandstone Formation (LSF), using core from the Rough field. Our detailed analyses include core logging, SEM-EDX and XRD analyses. This research provides a new reservoir characterization and introduces novel reservoir facies classifications supported by detailed petrography. We identify four facies associations: aeolian, fluvial, sheetflood and floodplain and find that each facies within the reservoir possesses different minerology. Certain minerals within these facies have the potential to react with hydrogen in some way causing the potential production of hydrogen sulphide, dissolution and reprecipitation of carbonate minerals and clay mineral transformations. These reactions are dependent on mineralogy and abundance, which varies throughout the mixed heterogeneous facies. After evaluating the petrography and potential mineral reactions, we conclude that Rough has potential to be a suitable hydrogen storage site but there is a level of unpredictability due to the heterolithic nature of the reservoir sandstones. This research highlights the importance of detailed characterization of heterolithic facies that occur in the Lower Permian stratigraphic interval in the Southern North Sea (SNS), especially along the western faulted margin. Such characterization is paramount for other sites under consideration for hydrogen storage.

Microbial reactions at gas-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces in underground hydrogen storage.

Cement integrity challenges associated with underground hydrogen storage: A review of geochemistry and microbial activity

The Brazilian context of underground hydrogen storage: A review and future perspectives

Experimental evaluation of wellbore cement integrity in underground hydrogen storage environments

Molecular insights into hydrogen adsorption on clay–organic nanocomposites: Implications for underground hydrogen storage in shale reservoirs

Application of nano-geopolymer on well integrity for potential underground hydrogen storage from the experimental study: a step toward net-zero carbon emissions

Focused Review on Natural Hydrogen: Occurrence, Economic Viability, Perspectives, and Implications for Underground Hydrogen Storage

The imperative to decarbonize the economy has positioned hydrogen as a clean fuel for hard-to-abate sectors and as a buffer for renewable energy integration. For the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with abundant solar resources, the large-scale role of hydrogen in the power system remains underexplored. This study develops an hourly-resolution linear programming optimization model to evaluate the economic and environmental benefits of hydrogen integration as both an energy storage medium and an industrial commodity. The model optimizes solar PV, wind, nuclear, and natural gas generation, along with batteries and a hydrogen subsystem including underground hydrogen storage, to meet projected 2030 electricity (203 TWh) and hydrogen (1.4 Mton) demand targets. Implemented in Python and solved with Gurobi, the model identifies a cost-optimal system that yields a levelized cost of electricity of $0.065/kWh and hydrogen of $2.56/kg. The results highlight vulnerability to carbon taxation and gas price volatility, while confirming hydrogen's cost-effectiveness for storage and demand supply.

Serbia’s energy sector is undergoing structural transformation driven by European climate policies, market volatility, and the need for long-term energy security. In this context, geological storage of energy carriers represents a strategically important option. Depleted gas reservoirs, particularly within the Pannonian Basin, constitute a technically validated subsurface infrastructure suitable for repurposing as multifunctional storage systems for natural gas, CO2, and green hydrogen. This study analyzes trends in European and Serbian natural gas markets, EU decarbonization targets, and Serbia’s energy balance to assess the feasibility of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and underground hydrogen storage. Key geological parameters governing long-term containment—lithology, effective porosity, permeability, caprock integrity, and structural stability—are evaluated, with emphasis on reservoirs combining favorable properties and proximity to existing infrastructure. Quantitative screening based on reservoir depth (approximately 1000–2500 m), effective porosity (15–25%), permeability (typically >50 mD), verified caprock integrity, and estimated geological storage capacities ranging from 0.17 to 1.25 billion m3 demonstrates that several depleted gas reservoirs in Serbia meet explicit fit-for-purpose criteria for underground storage applications. A comparative analysis of the physical and molecular behavior of H2, CH4, and CO2 in porous media indicates that hydrogen storage is the most sensitive to reservoir integrity. The reported results provide quantitative and qualitative evidence that selected depleted gas reservoirs in Serbia satisfy essential requirements for project-level screening, including reservoir capacity, petrophysical suitability, caprock integrity, and infrastructure accessibility. These findings support the technical readiness of such reservoirs for staged deployment of natural gas storage, CO2 sequestration, and underground hydrogen storage in the post-2035 energy system. Overall, combined subsurface storage of natural gas, CO2, and hydrogen in Serbia is technically feasible, economically justified, and strategically relevant within the national energy transition framework.

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy (especially hydrogen) has become a core strategy for decarbonization and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Hydrogen storage is crucial in the hydrogen supply chain. Due to the demand for large-scale hydrogen storage, underground hydrogen storage has been explored as an economic method to meet global energy needs. Underground aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs have high costs and immature technologies for hydrogen storage. In contrast, salt cavern hydrogen storage has obvious advantages such as low cost and the most mature technology. However, the safe storage and cyclic utilization of hydrogen in salt caverns require the caprock and reservoir to be highly stable and intact. Currently, research on the integrity of salt cavern hydrogen storage is unsatisfactory and lacks systematic methods. Therefore, this paper aims to review the main challenges related to storage integrity (such as geochemical reactions, microbial activities, geomechanics, etc.), analyze the impacts of various factors on hydrogen storage integrity, and propose feasible methods to mitigate these risks, providing a reference for large-scale underground salt cavern hydrogen storage.

Explainable advanced modelling of interfacial tension in H2 - CO2 - CH4 - brine systems for sustainable subsurface storage in saline aquifer.

Competitive adsorption and microbial effects on gas leakage in underground hydrogen storage: A coupled flow–diffusion–adsorption–microbial model

A novel gas/water surface complexation model considering the effect of pressure, temperature, pH, and ionic composition, for potential application in underground hydrogen storage

Effects of reservoir interlayers on hydrogen migration and distribution in underground hydrogen storage

Simulation-based staged decoupling of mobility, heterogeneity and hysteresis effects in underground hydrogen storage

Investigating the adsorption and transport behavior of hydrogen in underground hydrogen storage via molecular simulation

Modeling multiphase flow, geomechanical deformation and induced seismicity during underground hydrogen storage in naturally fractured reservoirs

Prospects of Underground Hydrogen Storage in the Hydrogen Energy Industry Amid Energy Transition Trends

Competitive adsorption of H2 and CH4 in coal: Implications for large-scale underground hydrogen storage