A new study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), together with the University of Leoben, finds that geological formations in southern Bavaria can hold between 12.6 and 25.2 terawatt-hours of hydrogen. The implications reach well beyond Bavaria – and they matter directly for Switzerland and for the cross-border hydrogen work now taking shape around Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine.

The key findings

Commissioned by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, the researchers examined porous-rock storage sites in the Alpine foothills, in particular Bierwang and Inzenham. These formations are currently used for natural gas, which means most of the required surface infrastructure is already in place. For comparison: Germany’s National Hydrogen Council estimates the storage capacity of salt caverns in northern Germany at 33 TWh.

This significantly broadens the geography of the German hydrogen storage debate. Southern Germany has substantial storage potential of its own – right next to large industrial demand clusters such as the Bavarian Chemical Triangle.

Why this is relevant for Switzerland

Switzerland has no salt caverns and no porous-rock gas storage on a comparable scale. For a reliable hydrogen and Power-to-X supply, the country will need access to European storage infrastructure – and Bavaria is right next door.

Three points are decisive:

  • Seasonal storage: Hydrogen produced from surplus wind and solar power has to be shifted from summer to winter. Geological storage is by far the most cost-effective way of doing this at scale.
  • Security of supply: A broader geographical distribution of storage capacity reduces bottlenecks and makes the system more resilient – including against disruptions at any single site.
  • Industrial defossilisation: Storage close to industrial clusters lowers transport costs and enables flexible supply. What applies to Bavaria applies in the same way to northwestern Switzerland, the Mittelland, and the industrial sites along the border.

A direct opportunity for the Lake Constance–Alpine Rhine region

This is where the TUM findings become particularly interesting in our immediate neighbourhood. The emerging cross-border hydrogen work in the D-A-CH triangle around Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine – including the H2-Lab “Hydrogen Ecosystem Bodensee–Alpenrhein” – is built around exactly the question of how Germany, Austria and Switzerland can develop an integrated hydrogen system across their shared border region.

Three points connect the TUM study directly to this work:

  • The Bavarian porous-rock sites lie within reasonable reach of the Lake Constance–Alpine Rhine industrial corridor. Storage availability on the German side is a structural advantage for the entire D-A-CH region, not only for Bavaria.
  • Cross-border initiatives gain credibility when they can point to concrete physical assets. A documented storage potential of up to 25.2 TWh on the German side strengthens the case for matching pipeline and certification work on the Austrian and Swiss sides.
  • For Swiss industry along the Rhine and in the eastern part of the country, access to southern German storage is more practical than access to northern German salt caverns – shorter routes, fewer transit countries, and a regulatory environment that is already being coordinated through D-A-CH dialogue.

Storage is the missing piece of the energy transition

Renewable energy is volatile. Without large-scale storage, the energy transition remains incomplete. Converting electricity into hydrogen and onward into Power-to-X products is currently the only known way to keep energy available across weeks and months at the scale required.

The TUM study adds an important piece to that puzzle. It shows that the geological conditions are better than previously assumed, and that existing natural gas infrastructure can play a dual role during the transformation phase. That is exactly what SPIN stands for: pragmatic, technology-open solutions that address security of supply and defossilisation together.

What needs to happen now

For Switzerland, the practical conclusions are clear: engage early in European storage and pipeline alliances, deepen bilateral dialogue with Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, and use the cross-border D-A-CH frameworks already underway – including the H2-Lab work around Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine – to secure access to southern German storage capacity. The regulatory groundwork has to be in place before the capacity is allocated elsewhere. SPIN will continue to follow the developments closely.

Sources:
TUM press release, 10 April 2026 (link)
Drews, M.C. et al. (2025): Statische Speicherkapazitäten für H₂ in Kohlenwasserstofflagerstätten und Gasspeichern. Final report SpeicherCHeck – Part 1: Hydrogen (PDF, Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs)
techxplore.com (10.4.2026): Major hydrogen storage potential in Bavaria