Morocco opens the way to storage of green hydrogen on a large scale

Par Hajar Ben Hosain

At a time when green hydrogen stands out as a pillar of the global energy transition, Morocco has crossed a strategic course. Mohammedia saline cavities, operated by the Moroccan Storage Company (SOMAS), have just been qualified by Hydrogen de France (HDF Energy) as being viable for hydrogen storage. A national first which opens the way to the securing of future production and export capacities of clean energy, while positioning the kingdom as a key player in the hydrogen economy in Africa.

After two years of intensive studies, the Melhy project, led by HDF Energy and Somas, has taken a decisive step with the qualification of the saline cavities of Mohammedia for underground storage of green hydrogen, thus positioning the kingdom as an African pioneer in very large scale of decarbon energy.

The project, in the form of an underground storage cenrogen storage in a saline cavity, will allow 100% decarbonized electricity production day and night integrating fuel cells from the Bordeaux factory of HDF Energy.

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Located 500 meters deep, the cavities offer a storage capacity equivalent to 10 gigawatts of electricity, that is to say Casablanca for six hours. Melhy is part of the national strategy aimed at bringing the share of renewable energies to 52 % of the electric mix by 2030.

Studies have mainly focused on the geomechanical stability of hydrogen pressure cavities, chemical compatibility between gem salt and molecular hydrogen, as well as on the optimization of load and discharge cycles in order to guarantee optimal energy efficiency.

The results, presented on Thursday, May 1, confirmed residual permeability of less than 10⁻²⁰ m², guaranteeing lasting seal over several decades. The depth of the cavities, combined with their cylindrical configuration (200 meters in height for 80 meters in diameter), offers ideal conditions for very large -scale storage under a pressure of 80 to 120 bars.

This qualification will allow Morocco to achieve several strategic objectives, bring to 52 % the share of renewable energies in its electric mix by 2030, reduce its imports of petroleum products by 40 % by 2035, and position Mohammedia as a regional energy hub, connected to Noor Midelt solar parks (800 MW) and Tanger wind farms (300 MW).