An Update on Field Trials of Hydrogen Storage in Canadian Salt Caverns
This talk provides an update on Canada’s first field trials of hydrogen storage in salt caverns, highlighting recent progress and remaining challenges. Using cores, brine samples, and well data from the Lotsberg and Robinson River salt formations, we combined laboratory experiments with field data to evaluate cavern integrity, hydrogen flow and reactions, and wellbore sealing performance. Results show that both salt and engineered cement barriers exhibit ultra-low permeability under storage conditions, with leakage rates influenced by salt-crystal size and non-salt impurities. Hydrogen-brine experiments allow quantification of hydrogen solubility under cavern conditions and assessment of biogeochemical reactions driven by the microbial content of cavern brine. These findings support the feasibility of underground hydrogen storage in Canadian salt formations, while ongoing work focuses on controlling reactions, ensuring long-term wellbore integrity, and optimizing cavern design for safe, large-scale energy storage.
Registrations will close on Tuesday, November 18 at 8AM MST.
Date/Time
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Registration: 11:45 AM MST
Start Time: 12:00 PM MST
End Time: 1:00 PM MST
Location
Calgary Petroleum Club | 319 5 Ave SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 0L5
*This event will be in-person only, and will not be recorded.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Hassan Dehghanpour
Professor & Senior Engineering Research Chair in Subsurface Energy Systems, University of Alberta
Dr. Hassan Dehghanpour is a professor and Senior Engineering Research Chair in Subsurface Energy Systems in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta (U of A). He is a co-lead of the University of Alberta’s Hydrogen Innovation Centre and currently leads a major research program on hydrogen storage in Canada’s salt caverns. The project is supported by Alberta Innovates’ Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, NSERC, NRCan, Mitacs, and a consortium of industry partners. Hassan’s achievements have been recognized by the 2024 ASTech Award for Hydrogen Innovation and several Awards from the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
**Please Note
Lunch will be served. Please be sure to include your dietary restrictions during the online registration process so we can do our best to accommodate.
An event reminder will be sent the day before and the morning of the event.
Group Discounts
Group discounts are now available! A discount of 10% will be applied at checkout for groups of 6-9 people, and a discount of 15% will be applied for groups of 10+ people. Please note the discount will only be applied if all tickets are purchased in the same transaction.
If you wish to reserve a table, please email calgarysection@spe.org and specify your company name and the specific event title/date to hold the reservation. Please note that table reservations only apply to groups of 8.
Group Discount (10+ People)