There were 23 finalists for the hydrogen fuel program. The projects selected are based in California, Washington, Minnesota, Texas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Illinois.
Among those selected were the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, based in West Virginia, and the Philadelphia-based Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub. Pennsylvania, a battleground state of the highest importance to the Democratic president in next year’s election, is in line to benefit from both projects.
The West Virginia-based hub includes major Pittsburgh-based natural gas companies that are active in the region’s prolific Marcellus Shale reservoir, including the parent company of the operator of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia and Virginia.
The $6.6 billion project to transport natural gas through Appalachia is supported by Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who was a key vote for last year’s sweeping legislation that included deep investments in climate programs. Opponents say the pipeline would emit the equivalent climate pollution of 23 coal-fired power plants and erode forest land along its 303-mile path.
The hub also includes a $1.6 billion facility under construction in northern Pennsylvania that is working to produce near-zero emissions hydrogen from natural gas.
“This is a big, big deal for … Appalachia in particular, because these facilities are all based in areas where coal was king,'' said Perry Babb, president of KeyState, an owner and developer of the Pennsylvania site.
Partners in the Appalachian hub say it could produce hydrogen from methane using heat, steam and pressure while capturing the carbon dioxide it would generate.
The Mid-Atlantic hub is supported by Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Officials say the goal is to be as climate-friendly as possible by making hydrogen through electrolysis — splitting water molecules using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, as well as nuclear power.
Other projects selected include the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems in California, which will produce hydrogen from renewable energy and biomass. The project is intended to provide a blueprint for decarbonizing public transportation, heavy duty trucking and port operations — key emissions drivers in the state and major sources of air pollution.
The Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub will be centered in Houston, long the energy capital of the United States. The hub plans large-scale hydrogen production from both natural gas and renewables.
The Minnesota-based Heartland hub seeks to decarbonize fertilizer used in agriculture and advance use of clean hydrogen in electric generation and for cold climate space heating. It also plans to offer equity ownership to tribal communities and local farmers.
The Midwest hub in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan will use hydrogen in steel and glass production, power generation, heavy-duty transportation and sustainable aviation fuel. The hub plans to use renewable energy, natural gas and nuclear energy.
The Pacific Northwest hub, based in eastern Washington, will use hydropower and other renewable resources to produce clean hydrogen.
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