Underground Gas Storage Facilities in France

Abstract

Natural gas consumption varies greatly accord­ ing to the day and the season. The distribution system alone, from producer to consumer, cannot provide all the flexibility required to handle such fluctuations, due to constraints arising from natural gas purchase agreements and the technical possibilities of processing, liquefaction, and transmission facilities.

As early as 1954, Gaz de France developed under­ ground storage facilities for natural gas in salt cavities and aquifers. These facilities have proven to be the only effective way to store the large volumes of gas required. For nearly 40 years, these facilities have fully lived up to their potential with confirmed high performance. They have also demonstrated that they are environmentally safe and reliable (Table 1).

Two examples are discussed: the first one at Cere-la Ronde is sited in an early Lias aquifer reservoir in the Paris basin; the second one at Etrez (Bresse basin) is a cavities storage in a salt layer of Ohgocene age.