Factors determining the construction and location of underground gas storage facilities

Kornelia Osieczko, Andrzej Gazda, Dušan Malindžák

Factors determining the construction and location of underground gas storage facilities

Číslo: 3/2019
Periodikum: Acta Montanistica Slovaca

Klíčová slova: underground gas storage, location, geological structure, energy security

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Anotace: The growing demand for earth gas results in need for storing proper volumes of this fuel to ensure national energy security. Poland

has its own earth gas reservoirs, but their exploitation cannot fully cover the constantly increasing demand. Most of the required volumes
are covered by gas import, mainly from the Russian Federation. However, long-term agreements do not envisage seasonal variations, which
causes that surplus volumes must be stored at underground storage facilities. Additionally, Poland's National Energy Policy imposes an
obligation to store the reserves of this fuel. All of these factors determine the construction and development of underground gas storage
facilities.
In recent years, a growing trend in building new and extending the existing gas storage facilities has been noticeable in the European
Union. Most often, depleted gas and oil reservoirs, salt caverns and aquifers are used for that purpose. The most suitable locations of these
types of storage facilities are areas near urban centres that are the final gas recipients. The construction of underground gas storage
facilities is also related to the development of the gas transmission system. EU countries, including Poland, continue development of UGS
facilities, aiming at diversification of gas supplies. It is also related to other activities, such as launching the LNG terminal in Świnoujście
and searching for alternative gas suppliers.
Creating an efficient system of underground gas storage facilities should be focused on securing strategic reserves, balancing
seasonal demand variability and optimising the transmission system throughout the country. In order to ensure the undisturbed function of
the entire economy, countries maintain gas reserves in case of a failure or an interruption in the continuity of supplies. Additionally,
continuous development allows using underground gas storage facilities commercially.