There are currently no widely reported fully operational compressed air energy storage (CAES) facilities that have been successfully implemented in depleted natural gas reservoirs on a commercial grid-scale basis. However, several studies, simulations, and pilot projects indicate strong potential and ongoing development efforts in this area:
- Researchers have conducted preliminary formation analyses and simulations demonstrating the technical feasibility of using depleted natural gas reservoirs for CAES systems, identifying them as promising candidates for energy storage due to existing geological and infrastructure conditions.
- The Denison Gas project in Australia is a notable example of actively pursuing CAES in depleted gas reservoirs. Denison is leveraging its expertise to develop the world’s first CAES facility in a depleted gas field, with engineering studies showing the sandstone reservoir could support a large-scale 600 MW / 7.2 GWh CAES plant. This would convert renewable energy into stored potential energy and generate electricity to address renewable intermittency, although it remains under development and not yet operational.
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers have also explored using depleted oil and gas wells as reservoirs for compressed natural gas storage, a concept closely related to CAES, but large-scale commercial deployment is not yet documented.
In summary, while the concept of CAES in depleted natural gas reservoirs has been demonstrated in simulations and pilot studies, and projects like Denison’s are moving toward commercial implementation, there are no broadly recognized, fully operational installations to date. The technology is considered promising and advancing toward practical deployment.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/are-there-any-specific-locations-where-caes-in-depleted-natural-gas-reservoirs-has-been-successfully-implemented/
