The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Subsurface Hydrogen Assessment, Storage and Technology Acceleration (SHASTA) collaboration, a project designed to use unique capabilities and expertise of key national laboratories to determine the viability, safety, and reliability of storing hydrogen in subsurface environments, has added Sandia National Laboratories as its fourth research partner.

SHASTA’s original members, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) welcomed Sandia Labs to a team of experts who will continue to work on determining the technical feasibility and quantifying operational risks associated with hydrogen gas storage in subsurface systems while developing technologies and tools for safe and reliable performance.

DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management established SHASTA in 2021 to explore hydrogen storage opportunities in geologic reservoirs.

Hydrogen has emerged as a low-carbon fuel option for transportation, power generation, and manufacturing applications. However, a key challenge is to ensure its safe and effective geologic storage to ensure reliability and fuel security.

NETL’s Angela Goodman, who leads the Lab’s SHASTA participation, said the initiative “can accelerate and expand the use of hydrogen by using existing natural gas facilities at storage sites across the United States, addressing critical technical hurdles, demonstrating the feasibility of emergent technology, and developing tools and technologies to support industry.”

For more than 70 years, Sandia Labs has delivered essential science and technology to resolve the nation’s most challenging security issues. A strong science, technology and engineering foundation enables Sandia’s mission through a capable research staff working at the forefront of innovation. The laboratories works with other government agencies industry, and academic institutions to accomplish critical missions related to nuclear deterrence, energy technologies, and global security.

“This is a terrific opportunity to lend Sandia’s years of salt cavern storage experience in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the challenge of storing hydrogen in geologic systems,” Don Conley, Sandia manager for geotechnology. “We are pleased to join the SHASTA team and are eager to apply our broader geosciences and system-level expertise to help the project achieve its important goals.”

NETL drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.

Founded in 1965, PNNL draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in sustainable energy and national security.

In service to the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration and other federal agencies, LLNL develops and applies world-class science and technology to ensure the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent. LLNL, founded in 1952, confronts dangers ranging from nuclear proliferation and terrorism to energy shortages and climate change that threaten national security and global stability.