France-based pipe manufacturer Vallourec has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with French engineering company Geostock to strengthen cooperation in developing large-scale underground storage infrastructure essential to the energy transition.
The agreement focuses on hydrogen storage and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), combining Vallourec’s expertise in premium seamless tubular solutions with Geostock’s long-standing know-how in subsurface energy storage and underground engineering.
Scalable hydrogen storage
A central pillar of the cooperation is hydrogen storage, where the two companies offer complementary and scalable solutions.
Vallourec’s turnkey Delphy solution is designed for the safe storage of up to 100 mt of hydrogen, targeting small to medium-scale applications such as decentralized hydrogen hubs. In parallel, Geostock’s lined mined rock cavern technology is suitable for much larger capacities exceeding 500 mt, enabling storage for large industrial users and integrated energy systems.
Together, these technologies illustrate how hydrogen storage can be deployed flexibly across different scales, reflecting the diverse requirements of the emerging hydrogen market depending on use cases, geography and energy-system design.
By sharing research outcomes, technical data and design expertise, Vallourec and Geostock aim to jointly develop well configurations capable of withstanding the challenging physical and chemical conditions associated with hydrogen and CCUS operations.