HyCavern Summer General Assembly: project updates from Trondheim

In June, we brought the HyCavern consortium together in Trondheim, Norway, for our Summer General Assembly, hosted by SINTEF.

Across two days, partners joined both in person and online to take stock of what has been achieved since the project kick-off, share updates from across the work packages, and discuss where we go next as the project moves forward.

The first day focused on technical progress across several areas of the project. In WP1, partners shared updates on steel liners, coatings and welding, including ongoing work to understand how materials perform under hydrogen storage conditions. WP2 focused on cement and rock testing, with discussions on how to coordinate experimental work between partners and ensure that results can be compared and used across the project.

WP4 looked at system design and prototyping, including some of the practical considerations involved in developing a safe and reliable lined rock cavern system. WP5 focused on validation activities and how future testing can help bring the project closer to real operating conditions. WP6 introduced decision-support methods, including how different parameters and expert input can be used to assess future lined rock cavern solutions.

On Day 2, we continued with further project discussions, including updates from WP8 on communication and dissemination activities. This included progress on the project website, upcoming outreach materials, and opportunities to make HyCavern more visible at relevant conferences and events.

We also had the chance to visit two SINTEF facilities: the XR Lab and the Applied Geoscience laboratories. These visits gave us a closer look at the research infrastructure and expertise supporting HyCavern’s work, from immersive tools for visualisation and training to geoscience facilities linked to subsurface research, rock testing and underground storage.

For us, the General Assembly was not only about reporting progress. It was about bringing people together, exchanging ideas, asking questions, and making sure that the different parts of the project continue to move in the same direction.

A big thank you to SINTEF for hosting us in Trondheim, and to all partners who contributed to two productive days of discussion, collaboration and exchange