Today, the White House and the U.S. Department of Energy announced the latest steps in a long-term plan to grow low-cost, clean hydrogen.
The joint announcement identified seven regional clean hydrogen hubs. These hubs will receive a combined $7 billion allocated under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Most of these funds will target electrolysis-based green hydrogen production, although the well-established Houston hydrogen corridor will utilize both green and blue hydrogen. Once the hubs are operating at full capacity, federal officials hope the hubs collectively will produce more than three million tons of clean hydrogen annually—or nearly one-third of the 2020 U.S. clean hydrogen production goal.
In addition, federal officials hope the clean hydrogen hubs will eliminate 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s an amount roughly equivalent to combined annual emissions of more than 5.5 million gasoline-powered cars. Such efforts are necessary if the U.S. is to reach its stated target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to the Biden Administration.
Federal officials say this public investment in the hydrogen hubs will spur approximately $40 billion in private investment and create tens of thousands of new jobs.
The hub locations are:
- Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub (HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub; Texas) — The Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub will be centered in the Houston region, the energy capital of the U.S.
- Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub (Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2); Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey).
- Appalachian Hydrogen Hub (Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2); West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania).
- California Hydrogen Hub (Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES); California).
- Heartland Hydrogen Hub (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota).
- Midwest Hydrogen Hub (Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2); Illinois, Indiana, Michigan).
- Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub (PNW H2; Washington, Oregon, Montana).
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $65 billion in clean energy investments in total.
Obviously, today’s announcement is just a start—much more work needs to be done before these sites are in operation and producing clean hydrogen. But the announcement, and allocation of funds, is an important step in the development of America’s clean hydrogen economy and for the renewable energy sector as a whole.
We will closely monitor the progress of these project and provide additional information as it becomes available.
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