The first underground distributed hydrogen storage demonstration base project in Central China kicks off in Wuhan!

The Forum and Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Underground Distributed Hydrogen Storage R&D Application Demonstration Base Project Were Successfully Held in Wuhan. It is reported that this project is the first underground distributed hydrogen storage R&D application demonstration base in Central China, as well as a key scientific and technological achievement transformation project in Wuhan.

Led by WISDRI Engineering & Research Incorporation Limited, the project has established a collaborative industry-university-research consortium with the Wuhan Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Wuhan University of Science and Technology to jointly tackle key challenges. The focus is on overcoming three core "bottleneck" technologies: material sealing, well cementing technology, and intelligent monitoring.

With the support of resources and technology from Baowu Clean Energy Co., Ltd. and other partners, the project plans to construct five underground distributed hydrogen storage wells and supporting facilities. It innovatively adopts a "dual-track parallel model of achievement transformation and R&D testing": three wells for achievement transformation will ensure the regular operation of hydrogen refueling stations, while two wells for R&D testing will accumulate critical data for technological iteration. Upon completion, the project will establish a full-cycle intelligent management system of "monitoring–early warning–response," pioneer new pathways for high-density, distributed hydrogen storage, and create Central China's first closed-loop application system for hydrogen energy covering "production–storage–refueling–utilization."

In a special report, Yang Chunhe, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out that hydrogen energy is one of the ultimate energy sources in the post-fossil fuel era, and hydrogen storage is a key link in the entire hydrogen industry chain. Distributed hydrogen storage can effectively address the scheduling challenges of green electricity and aligns with national strategic resource development requirements. He stated that the R&D team will continue to tackle difficulties such as hydrogen embrittlement and standard formulation, promote technological validation and the establishment of national standards, and use this project as a starting point to help integrate Wuhan's hydrogen energy plan into Hubei's overall layout.

In his speech, Zang Zhonghai stated that this project is an important practice in cultivating new quality productive forces. WISDRI will leverage its technological expertise and full-chain service capabilities to advance the project at full speed and create a benchmark project for the hydrogen energy industry. Representatives from Baowu Clean Energy, Wuhan Chemical Industry Park, Wuhan Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Bureau, and the Wuhan Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences also delivered congratulatory speeches, affirming that the project will fill gaps in related fields in Central China, contribute to the realization of the "dual carbon" goals, and pledging full support for the project's construction.