The States of New York, New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts have announced the submission of a proposal for a Northeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The coalition, which in total includes more than 100 partners, is competing for $1.25 billion of the $8 billion in federal hydrogen hub funding available as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Including the federal cost share, the proposal represents a $3.62 billion investment and includes more than a dozen projects to advance clean hydrogen production, consumption and infrastructure.
The Northeast Hub projects include clean electrolytic hydrogen production for use in transportation, high-temp industrial thermal and communal utilities for heat which are each representative of hard-to-decarbonize sectors. The proposed projects would be sited and integrated across the seven states collectively producing and utilizing clean hydrogen and establishing strategic connections to other clean hydrogen hubs.
If selected for an award by DOE, the projects within the NE Hub would be completed over four phases in over the course of 10-12 years. While the department completes the application review process, the full list of projects, locations and organizations included within the proposal will not be made public.
Awards are expected to be announced in 2023.
DOE has indicated that it may use the $8 billion in funding to support as many as ten regional clean hydrogen hubs in the U.S. The hubs would be centers for the production, transportation, storage and end-use of hydrogen.
The department’s goal is to bring the cost of production down by 80% to $1 per kilogram in one decade.
The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recently mapped and identified leading stakeholders and regions that have responded to the DOE regional hydrogen hub funding notice and intend to submit a full application. You can further explore state and regional application efforts in its new map here.
According to CATF, private equity and venture firms spent over $5 billion on hydrogen-related companies in 2022 alone.
