28/10/2026 | Report

As part of European Hydrogen Week 2026 in Brussels, the joint EUH2STARS and FrHyGe event brought together more than 120 participants from across Europe to discuss the role of underground hydrogen storage (UHS) in a future European hydrogen system.

Representatives from industry, research, policy and regulatory bodies exchanged views on the technical, economic and regulatory requirements needed to move UHS from demonstration to large-scale deployment. The event explored both porous reservoir storage, investigated within EUH2STARS, and salt cavern storage, the focus of FrHyGe.

A particular highlight of the event were three round table discussions featuring leading experts and decision-makers from across the European hydrogen sector. The discussions addressed key questions related to ensuring safe UHS deployment, integrating underground hydrogen storage into Europe’s future energy system, and establishing the policy and regulatory framework needed to accelerate market development.

Three key priorities emerged from the discussions.

• First, knowledge and operational experience from pilot projects must be shared more effectively and translated into standards and regulations to support safe deployment at scale.
• Second, clear business cases, investment certainty and supportive policy frameworks are needed to establish a viable market for underground hydrogen storage.
• Third, a coherent regulatory framework is essential to enable timely infrastructure development ahead of growing hydrogen demand.

The strong participation and lively exchange throughout the event underlined the increasing recognition of underground hydrogen storage as a key enabler of a secure, resilient and scalable European hydrogen economy.