The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday selected the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association’s PNWH2 Hub for award negotiations as one of the nation’s seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs following a competitive nationwide process, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
PNWH2 Hub could receive up to $1 billion in federal funding over nine years for its projects.
The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association is a multistate nonprofit coalition of public and private partners spanning Washington, Oregon, and Montana, and includes representatives from tribal nations, labor, business and industry, higher education, government, and the environmental community.
DOE’s H2Hubs will kickstart a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure while supporting the production, storage, delivery, and end-use of clean hydrogen. The H2Hubs, funded by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, will accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of clean hydrogen — helping generate clean, dispatchable power, create a new form of energy storage, and decarbonize heavy industry and transportation, the release said.
Together, they also will reduce 25 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from end-uses each year — an amount roughly equivalent to combined annual emissions of 5.5 million gasoline-powered cars — and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs across the country while supporting healthier communities and strengthening America’s energy security, the release added.
The PNWH2 Hub will leverage the abundant clean power and innovative technology companies in the Pacific Northwest to accelerate the transition to clean hydrogen production and use. The hub will focus on decarbonizing the region’s hard-to-electrify heavy-duty transportation, long-duration energy storage, ports, agriculture, and industrial operations, the Commerce Department said.
“Washington state and our many partners in this effort got here today because we have the commitment to innovation, nation-leading climate policies and economic bona fides to build even more clean energy resources here in Washington,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “This hub will be another example that the transition to all renewable energy is not only saving our planet but contributing to robust economic growth. The projects in this hub will support thousands of new jobs in Washington and the Northwest, while slashing emissions in sectors such as heavy-duty transportation, maritime, agriculture, and industrial operations.”
DOE and the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association will negotiate the final funding and scope for the hub beginning this fall. Companies with projects proposed as part of the PNWH2 Hub are: Air Liquide Hydrogen Energy US LLC, Amazon.com Inc., ALA Renewable Energy LLC, Atlas Agro, Centralia College, Mitsubishi Power Americas Inc., Northwest Seaport Alliance, NovoHydrogen Development Inc., PACCAR Inc., Portland General Electric Co., Puget Sound Energy, PUD No. 1 of Douglas County, Regis Solar LLC, Synchronous LLC dba First Mode, Twin Transit, USA Fortescue Future Industries Inc., and Williams Field Services Group LLC.
The PNWH2 Hub is eligible to receive up to $1 billion in federal funding over four DOE-defined development phases spanning nine years, with $20 million allocated for Phase 1. DOE will evaluate the hub’s activities and deliver go/no-go decisions at each phase.
The PNWH2 Hub will kick off Phase 1, which includes detailed project planning, in early 2024 to refine projections submitted in the proposal and provide assurance to DOE that the overall hydrogen hub concept and proposed projects are technologically, financially and legally viable, with buy-in from local stakeholders. Project partners, who have been engaging with local communities for many months, will build on this groundwork with extensive community and labor engagement in Phase 1, the release said.
The PNWH2 Hub’s proposal was developed by a team of experts from each proposed project led by federal engineering, procurement and construction contractor Atkins. Guidance was provided by the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association Board and the Advisory Committee, as well as through community and partner feedback.