The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2) – a public-private partnership of tribal, labor, government, environmental and private sector hydrogen company leaders – has submitted its 20-page concept paper to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), outlining the significant breadth and depth of possibilities for a hydrogen hub in the Pacific Northwest.
PNWH2 is leading a regional effort to land one of very few shares of the DOE’s $8 billion investment in a nationwide network of clean hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs) under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
With the states of Washington and Oregon collaborating in this effort, the PNWH2’s final proposal will demonstrate the region’s incredible assets for supporting a successful hydrogen hub, including natural renewable hydropower and a history of innovation in the agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, high tech, maritime and clean tech sectors.
“We aim to lead. The Pacific Northwest unquestionably occupies a prime position for developing and deploying a green hydrogen hub capable of tackling the biggest challenges – decarbonizing industrial sectors of our economy such as heavy transportation, aviation, steel and more,” says Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
The PNWH2 Hub serves a diverse stakeholder group in the Pacific Northwest that will leverage several of the region’s primary strengths: abundant renewable energy resources, utility companies that produce 81,000 MWh of clean energy (including hydroelectric), 947,000 labor union members, 172 transit providers, 64 public colleges and university zones.
“Our state legislature has helped position Washington as a leader in the production of renewable hydrogen. This proposal and partnership represent a rare opportunity to unleash the marketplace using our state’s academic experts, global best practices, renewable resources, and our existing assets,” mentions Washington State Senator Reuven Carlyle. “It’s exciting to see Washington step up and be a thought leader in the production, distribution and the use of renewable hydrogen. From maritime to aviation, long haul trucking to energy storage and more, renewable hydrogen has an important future in the market and our state’s climate action.”
The PNWH2 Hub, in alignment with the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will focus on zero-carbon, clean H2 production and distribution, H2 technology, manufacturing, and power generation, all applied to transportation, agriculture and commercial end uses. It will also include the workforce, academic institutions and communities that will benefit and support project development. Washington and Oregon state commitments of support, integrated with DOE and private funding, will accelerate deployment of these technologies and achieve financial and operational viability of the hub.
The DOE investment will guarantee large-scale hydrogen production in the region, which will in turn unlock massive investment in end-use applications and infrastructure. To scale up accelerated adoption, while solving end-use requirements for infrastructure and equipment, the PNWH2 Hub will develop projects to produce an abundance of clean hydrogen.
The PNWH2’s request for information for individual projects to be included in the final proposal to DOE is open through Nov. 15. This opportunity is open only to new projects that have not previously responded to the RFI. The RFI is posted on Washington’s Electronic Business Solutions (WEBS) portal. More Information is available on the PNWH2 website and by emailing info@pnwh2.com.
Read more about the paper here.
