22.01.2025

INES publishes results of the market survey MAHS

In a digital press conference, INES presented and explained the results of the MAHS (Market Assessment for Hydrogen Storage). The MAHS is a market survey conducted by INES to assess the demand for hydrogen storage capacities in Germany. The results provide an important basis for decision-making for both politics and the economy.

Berlin, January 22, 2025 – The Initiative Energien Speichern e.V. (INES) has today presented the results of its own market survey, the so-called MAHS ("Market Assessment for Hydrogen Storage"), in a digital press conference for the first time. The MAHS was conducted to assess the hydrogen storage needs of market participants from April 2, 2024, over a period of two months.

The MAHS targeted domestic and international companies intending to store hydrogen in Germany. Since not all participating companies could quantitatively estimate their own hydrogen storage needs, they had the option to provide information on hydrogen production and intended use. Based on this information, INES not only calculated the hydrogen storage needs of these companies but was also able to consider the hydrogen system as a whole for specific reference years up to 2045.

The MAHS results can be summarized as follows:

  • In the short term, until 2035, the MAHS provides comparable assessments of the necessary working gas volume (AGV) of hydrogen storage with other relevant scenarios (ÜNB/FNB market survey and core network scenario).
  • A comparison of the MAHS results with the long-term scenarios of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) shows that the future need for hydrogen storage is highly dependent on the feed-in of renewable energy.
  • The assessments of the required withdrawal and injection capacity differ significantly between the MAHS and the core network scenario.

INES concludes from this:

  • Until 2035, the current plans for AGV are considered robust and recommended as a basis for political and regulatory decisions.
  • The regulatory and financing concepts for hydrogen storage should consider the highly fluctuating storage needs and the associated challenges for the business model.
  • Network and storage operators should collaborate more closely in infrastructure planning and synchronize their assessments.

Given the relevance of the results for the storage industry, INES has decided to conduct the MAHS regularly every two years. The results will be presented not only to the relevant authorities but also to the public. With the MAHS, INES creates a basis for storage operators to comply with their obligations under Article 9 of the EU Gas and Hydrogen Package Regulation and consolidates demand surveys within a national framework.

INES Managing Director Sebastian Heinermann commented on the MAHS results as follows: "With the results now available, INES creates an important basis for decision-making for politics and the economy to further advance the development of necessary hydrogen storage in Germany. Especially for the period until 2035, the MAHS results provide the necessary certainty for political decision-making, which must aim to establish a financing concept that enables the required investments in hydrogen storage."

FURTHER INFORMATION

Read Press Release in German / Pressemitteilung auf Deutsch lesen