Paper contribution

Assessment of site suitability for lined rock caverns in repurposed mine drifts for underground hydrogen storage

Lena Bäcklund; Ping Zhang

Proceedings
EUROCK 2026
Pages
1125-1132
Submitted
28 January 2026
Accepted
15 June 2026
Published
12 August 2026

Summary

Abstract

Lined rock caverns (LRCs) are an underground gas storage solution which offers safe and high-capacity gas storage at flexible locations, without the geological limitations associated with other storage methods. With the increasing global focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, underground hydrogen storage combined with LRC has been proposed as a solution for seasonal energy storage. However, one of the main limitations is the high cost of LRCs since the gas tightness is engineered by using concrete and steel liners rather than based on the geological properties of the site, meaning higher construction and material costs. Repurposing underground drifts by using LRC technology in inactive mining areas has been suggested as a potential alternative. This paper investigates the feasibility of constructing lined rock drifts (LRDs) in inactive mining areas of a Swedish underground mine. The conceptual study was carried out through numerical simulations based on published material available about the site. Pre-existing excavations of varying dimensions and depths were analyzed. Assuming a constant maximum gas pressure and fixed minimum thicknesses of concrete and liner, the effects of liner stress and the overall rock conditions were studied to aid in site selection. The results indicated that the rock quality and the depth are the most important aspects to consider, as when they both increase, the adverse effects of a fully pressurized LRD are significantly lessened. The size of the drift was found to be less impactful for the mechanical response but should be taken into account when considering the material usage and cost of the construction.

Contributors

Authors

  1. Lena Bäcklund Luleå University of Technology ORCID 0009-0006-4939-5439
  2. Ping Zhang Luleå University of Technology ORCID 0000-0002-9278-1283

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