UGS Zuidwending

The Zuidwending natural gas buffer holds flexible gas stocks in deep, underground salt caverns. The buffer plays an important role in managing sudden changes in demand for natural gas, especially with the falling pressure of the Groningen gas field.
The Zuidwending natural gas buffer consists of a gas plant and four caverns at a depth of between 1,000 and 1,500 meters. The caverns are 50 to 60m across, and at a height of 300m, they are tall enough to fit the Eiffel Tower. Stored at 180 bars, each cavern has the capacity to supply the market with over 50 millionm³ of natural gas (working gas volume).
To meet rapid changes in gas flow, Zuidwending uses Frames gas dehydration technology. These efficient units with high availability and short start-up times can easily manage peak draw-off rates of up to 1.6 million m³ of gas per hour along with injection rates of up to 0.8 million m³ per hour.