Contributed: Western Interstate Hydrogen Hub
SALT LAKE CITY—The Western Interstate Hydrogen Hub LLC (WIH2) submitted an application last week for a $1.25 billion grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to advance the hydrogen economy in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
The submission is in response to the DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) Funding Opportunity to establish hydrogen economies across America. WIH2’s H2Hub proposal identifies eight projects across four states.
Spanning 408,000 square miles, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming produce approximately one-sixth of the nation’s energy. In February 2022, governors from the four states signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the Western Inter-State Hydrogen Hub (WISHH) to develop a regional clean hydrogen hub.
Through a competitive application process, the states selected eight qualified project partners for WIH2’s application. Project developers awarded the federal grant have committed to exceed the DOE’s requested minimum 50 percent grant match.
“Utah has long advocated for doing things a little differently, and in our state, that little bit of difference has led to a lot of innovation and economic success,” said Gov. Spencer Cox. “Our partnership in this four-state application is no different. If the Department of Energy wants to spur innovation in hydrogen as an energy source, this is the place.”
According to Anja Richmond, WISHH program director, the four states worked in concert over the past several months to select projects that will advance the use of hydrogen.
Each project highlights the unique culture and economy of the home state. She is confident the WIH2 proposal meets OCED’s goals. The projects identified in the application are as follows:
—AVANGRID will leverage its experience in renewables to produce hydrogen in New Mexico.
—AVF Energy will produce renewable natural gas/clean hydrogen from biomass harvested as part of fire mitigation and environmental restoration in Utah.
—Dominion Energy Utah’s ThermH2 project blends hydrogen into a high-pressure natural gas system in Utah.
—Libertad Power will produce clean hydrogen in New Mexico to serve off-takers across the Southwest.
—Navajo Agricultural Product Industries (NAPI), a 275,000-acre Navajo Nation-owned commercial farm is seeking to become energy self-sufficient and raise produce in greenhouses for the benefit of Tribal members.
—Tallgrass Energy will produce clean hydrogen in New Mexico and Front Range Hydrogen project in Colorado and Wyoming.
—Xcel Energy Colorado will produce hydrogen on the eastern plains of Colorado using wind and solar and will support hydrogen use in the electric sector and hard-to-decarbonize segments of the economy.
WIH2 will bring more than 26,000 jobs, including 7,000 construction-related jobs, across the four states. According to the DOE, hydrogen energy has the power to slash emissions from multiple carbon-intensive sectors.
