Experience of Underground Oil/Gas Storage in Rock Caverns

In Korea, stockpiling capacity of hydrocarbon products has been steadily increased since 1980. Currently, Korea has storage capacity equal to about 146 million barrels, and approximately 73 percent of the total, 107.3 million barrels, were stored in underground space. Underground storage facilities have advantages over aboveground tanks in terms of the cost of construction, operation and maintenance as well as safety, security and environmental acceptability. The key technologies in the underground storage of hydrocarbon products are the construction of large rock cavern with crosssectional area ranging from 300 up to 520 m2, the long-term structural stability of the cavern and the full containment of the product in rock caverns. Based on 33-year experience in design, construction and operation of underground storage facilities, Korea has accumulated technical expertise in this field and achieved the position as one of the model countries holding stockpiles of strategic oil reserves.