The U.S. Department of Energy on Nov. 20 announced up to $2.2 billion in award commitments for two Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs.
The two awardees -- Gulf Coast H2Hub and Midwest H2Hub -- are critical pillars of DOE's H2Hubs program, which was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to kickstart a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure while supporting the production, storage, delivery, and end-use of clean hydrogen, DOE said.
As part of the H2Hubs program, DOE is committing up to $1.2 billion of federal cost share for the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub -- led by HyVelocity (HyV) and up to $1 billion of federal cost share for the Midwest Hydrogen Hub -- led by the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen LLC (MachH2).
These awards follow three previously awarded H2Hubs.
The Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub plans to leverage the Gulf Coast region’s abundant renewable energy and natural gas supply "to drive down the cost of hydrogen—a crucial piece to achieving market liftoff," DOE said.
Through its core projects, the Hub proposes to produce clean hydrogen from both water through electrolysis and from natural gas while utilizing carbon capture and storage. Learn more here.
The Midwest Hydrogen Hub plans to leverage the region’s diverse energy sources (including renewable wind energy, natural gas, and nuclear energy) to support the decarbonization of industries including steel and glass production, manufacturing, power generation, refining, and heavy-duty transportation across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan. Learn more here.
DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations manages the H2Hubs program and will provide project management oversight for the chosen projects.
Through its phased approach to project management oversight, OCED will review and evaluate the Hub’s progress, including toward community benefits, which impact OCED’s decision to continue to provide federal funding and allow a project to progress to the next phase.
