Monitoring Ground Movement – The Big Jigsaw of the Cavern Gas-Storage Epe, Germany

Summary Monitoring an underground gas-storage is complex and challenging. Figuratively speaking, it is a jigsaw, in which not all pieces are available, and not completely clear which motif will be created. At the same time, it is necessary to explain the motif. This process is already challenging for experts, but even poses great problems for a large number of local stakeholders to understand the process. The research cooperation Epe aims to make the ground movement at the cavern storage Epe (NW-Germany) explainable and transparent. For this purpose, the research cooperation was founded by the city of Gronau, the citizens’ initiative Kavernenfeld Epe e.V., EFTAS GmbH, Münster and the Research Center of Post-Mining of the Technical University Georg Agricola, Bochum. The operators in the cavern field also support with field data and knowledge. Radar remote sensing (InSAR) is used to analyse the ground movement, which might be caused by the cavern operation. The InSAR result will be merged with the available public geodata and mine surveying data. A public participation process will accompany all work. For the first time, the cooperation leads to a direct exchange of various participants in a mining project for establishing a common understanding of the process.