Salt domes in the Drenthe soil are popular. They were recently mentioned as a possible location for the storage of nuclear waste and now the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth sees possibilities for storing hydrogen. But that is not acceptable to Mayor Anno Wietze Hiemstra of the municipality of Aa en Hunze. “We’ve already done enough.”
There are salt domes in the soil beneath the municipalities of Aa and Hunze, Midden-Drenthe and Borger-Odoorn. According to the ministry, they are eligible for hydrogen storage. But before that happens, the salt must first be extracted. Undesirable, according to the three municipalities. And they announced this together in a letter to the House of Representatives.
“If you want to store hydrogen here, the salt must first be removed,” Hiemstra says. “Special installations must be constructed for this and the salt must be transported to Delfzijl. That is very drastic and results in soil subsidence. While there are places where it is much easier to store hydrogen. As a ministry, focus on those places.”
The demand for hydrogen as an energy form is expected to increase in the coming years. To be ready for this, the government wants to create storage facilities for hydrogen, preferably underground. Salt domes and empty gas fields are suitable for this.
According to Hiemstra, the salt domes in the three Drenthe municipalities are not very promising. “There are many restrictions. In addition to the fact that the domes have to be emptied, the domes are located under a Natura 2000 area, a national park and in a geopark. That is not logical.”
“In addition, the risks still need to be investigated and test drilling needs to be done. There is too little knowledge about certain areas,” the mayor continues. “Only then can you see what the domes are suitable for.”
Hiemstra also believes that the government should take residents into account. “We are already dealing with gas extraction from small fields here, we are dealing with the consequences of gas extraction in Groningen, there are wind turbines here and there is already salt extraction. We have done enough.”
“I understand that if you want to continue with hydrogen, our salt domes are being looked at. But if the chance of success is so small, why would you invest energy in it?”