The transition towards a lower-consumption and lower-impact economy is seeing the emergence of some particular risks. That’s the case for the various energy industries. What are these risks? And how are they managed?
What’s the nature of the risks?
Overall, risks related to the ecological transition include new risks but also risks that already existed but which are evolving alongside technologies (for example, lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen, and nanotech such as nanopesticides, nanoparticles etc.) These risks are often complex and can be interlinked, and they may have a particularly serious impact on health and on the environment. They are multiplying through the simple fact of increased exposure (for example, we’re using ever more batteries in our daily lives).
In the energy sector, risks are specific to different industries, among them new energies, storage, or the conversion of former mines.
Risks related to new energies
Within new energies and new energy carriers, low-carbon hydrogen is emerging as an essential component in the energy transition. According to projections, if all the objectives set for 2030 (vehicles, fuelling stations, batteries, storage, transport etc.) are achieved, the volume of hydrogen consumed globally could increase sixfold. As of today however, each link in the industry presents some potential hazard, which makes it difficult to manage risks across the industry as a whole. Alongside this, the industry is seeing decentralisation of its production to be closer to its users. And of course as an emerging industry, low-carbon hydrogen is increasingly subject to new regulations.
Hydrogen, a highly flammable gas presenting its own hazards
Hydrogen (or more accurately dihydrogen) is light, odourless, non-toxic, non-corrosive and offers high energy density. However, it has a high combustion rate and wide explosive range. It produces barely visible flame, and depending on the metals employed, can pose a risk to its surroundings. The major issue related to hydrogen is that of leaks. According to an analysis by Inéris, of 213 recorded accidents no fewer than 84% were characterised as fire or explosion, the rest (16%) being hydrogen leaks that were not ignited. Another significant figure: over 70% of those accidents stem from organisational or human factors. Again according to Inéris, while the associated hazards have been known and managed for decades in industry, the proliferation of hydrogen systems seen in other industries may be attributed to new actors sometimes unfamiliar with this molecule. That’s why the institute is positioning itself to support the sector in risk management planning. It was also audited at the end of 2023 for qualification to the new IECEx OD 290 certification for hydrogen-operated systems. This IECEx(1) certification offers a global framework for facilities, repair installations and staff competences in the industry.
Other new or re-explored energies
Other new energies may present particular hazards. That’s the case for example with deep geothermal and ammonia maritime fuel.
Deep geothermal
Deep geothermal(2) is today seeing a revival, almost 40 years after operations originally began at sites such as at Soultz-sous-Forêt in Alsace, where the pilot site has operated since 1987, or Bouillante in Guadeloupe where a two-unit power station has operated since 1986. Today a number of installations are operational in the Aquitaine and Parisian Basins, the Rhine Graben, the Rhône and Bresse corridors, Limagne and also in Hainaut, Belgium. However, deep geothermal may have an important corollary: seismic activity triggered by the operations, for which mitigation solutions are being sought. The management of risks is all the more necessary as numerous projects are now emerging for the co-production of lithium and geothermal on the same sites, lithium being found in geothermal brine.
Ammonia maritime fuel
In view of the role maritime transport plays in climate change (3% of global GHG emissions) and the ongoing expansion of this form of transport, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed a GHG strategy advocating several alternative fuels such as electricity, biofuels, hydrogen, methanol and wind power, but also ammonia. A compound of nitrogen and hydrogen (NH3), ammonia is easy to store, has twice the energy density of hydrogen and can be burned directly in internal combustion engines, and/or transformed into hydrogen to produce electricity for propulsion. However, it has a high self-ignition point and restricted explosive limits, meaning it has to be combined with a secondary fuel.
Hazards related to energy storage
As an intrinsic part of new energies, energy storage is a decisive factor in the sector’s viability. It includes electricity storage (static or onboard) and thermal storage (for heating and air conditioning). For electricity storage, a range of options exist: mechanical storage (pumped, compressed air or inertial), electrochemical storage (batteries such as lithium-ion, sodium, sodium-ion, flow etc.) and chemical storage (hydrogen generated by water electrolysis). Particular hazards may be associated with the various storage types, to which may be added underground hydrogen storage and carbon capture and storage (CCS), both of which can also pose certain safety risks.
Risks related to battery storage
For static lithium-ion batteries, limitations are becoming apparent in some of the risk management systems integrated into the battery storage containers (e.g. fire extinguishing system failing to activate, lack of venting, etc.) For valve-regulated lead/acid (VRLA) batteries, used particularly in renewable energy generation, risks of functional defects have been observed which indicate in particular the need to install ventilation at the battery location. Meanwhile, although Red-Ox electrochemical flow batteries are aqueous by their nature, so little subject to fire or electrical risk, they may produce a chemical risk due to the toxic substances they contain: liquid flows may lead to leaks of corrosive acidic liquids or to incompatible mixtures generating toxic gases.
Risks related to carbon capture and storage (CCS)
Carbon capture and storage requires transport operations and CO2 injection, giving rise to several forms of risk such as those linked to presence of impurities, and variation in concentration or viscosity. Inéris is currently working on this issue with several industrial and academic partners (c.f. “simulation loop for processes such as filling and emptying”).
Risks related to decommissioned mines and fossil fuels
Once operations cease, certain hazards and impacts remain, such as that of micro-seismic activity in former mines, or hazards related to former hydrocarbon wells (for example, gas or oil surface seepage, aquifer contamination by brine or hydrocarbons, earth movements etc.). This poses safety issues when re-using the sites as part of the energy transition (e.g. : lithium extraction beneath a kaolin quarry at Beauvoir in the department of Allier in Central France)(3) or during conversion of subterranean works. In this respect, the French Geological Survey (BRGM) and Inéris are currently undertaking an assessment of the risk associated with the conversion of hydrocarbon wells into geothermal wells.
1) IECEx : International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres.
2) Deep geothermal drilling to capture water in deep aquifers (between 200 and 2,500 m), then transferring this to heating networks to provide warmth. The goal set for 2028 is to generate 4 TWh in France. To support this development, in 2023 Inéris and the BRGM published a “Best practice guide for the control of seismic activity caused by deep geothermal operations”
3) The Emili lithium mining project backed by Imerys was recognised as a “Project of major national interest” by the French government at the start of July 2024, which should simplify some of the many administrative procedures required. The project spans several sites: the concentration plant at Echassières, the loading platform at Fonchambert and the conversion plant near Montluçon. The planned production of 34,000 tonnes of lithium annually is enough for almost 700,000 vehicles per year. (Emili: Exploitation de MIca Lithinifère par Imerys) (Exploitation of Lithium-bearing Mica by Imerys).
