HyCavern joins the 5th International Summer School on Underground Hydrogen Storage in Bergen

Last week, HyCavern was represented in Bergen, Norway, at the 5th International Summer School on Underground Hydrogen Storage, an event organised by NORCE Research and CSSR - Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Resources.

Held from 15–19 June, the summer school brought together students, researchers and industry professionals to explore the latest developments in underground hydrogen storage. Across the week, participants took part in sessions covering a wide range of topics, including reservoir engineering, geochemistry, microbiology, regulation, safety, and energy systems integration.

For HyCavern, the event provided a valuable opportunity to contribute to discussions on the future of underground hydrogen storage, particularly around the role that lined rock caverns can play in enabling safe, scalable and cost-effective storage solutions.

The lined rock cavern concept is especially relevant for regions where conventional underground storage options, such as salt caverns, may be limited or unavailable. By developing and assessing this approach, HyCavern aims to support a more flexible hydrogen storage landscape across Europe and beyond.

During the event, Mohammad Masoudi from SINTEF presented the lined rock cavern concept, the key challenges associated with its development, and how HyCavern is working to address these through its research and innovation activities. Davi R. Damasceno from TU Delft also presented a poster focusing on the technical aspects of cavern design, contributing further to the technical exchange around the project’s core objectives.

Beyond the formal sessions, the summer school was also an excellent opportunity to connect with new people, meet project partners, catch up with colleagues, and build new relationships within the underground hydrogen storage community. It was encouraging to see strong participation from the HyCavern team throughout the event, reflecting the project’s active engagement with the wider research and innovation ecosystem.

HyCavern would like to thank the organisers at NORCE Research and CSSR - Centre for Sustainable Subsurface Resources, with special thanks to Nicole Dopffel, for putting together such a well-structured and engaging programme.

Events like this are important spaces for sharing knowledge, testing ideas and building the collaborations needed to advance underground hydrogen storage technologies. HyCavern looks forward to continuing these conversations as the project develops.

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