The City of Lancaster in California said on Wednesday that the Lancaster Planning Commission has given the go-ahead to a project for a solar-powered green hydrogen production facility being developed by Element Resources Inc in the city.
The approval followed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the parties last year.
The Lancaster Clean Energy Center will be divided into two sites. The first will span 442 acres, while the second will be located on 896 acres.
The project envisages the installation of adjacent ground-mounted solar farms with a combined capacity of just above 650 MW to power the green hydrogen production. The solar stations will be coupled with a 330-MWh long-duration battery energy storage system (BESS).
The green hydrogen plant, in turn, will have 400 MW of alkaline electrolysers, 20 units of 20 MW each, and liquefied and gaseous hydrogen storage. It is planned to be launched with an initial capacity to produce more than 20,000 tonnes of renewable green hydrogen annually.
The site will be equipped with two cylindrical tanks and three spherical liquified hydrogen storage tanks, facilities for filling hydrogen transport trailers and zero-emission hydrogen vehicles and trucks, control and office buildings, warehouse and service buildings, along with cooling towers.
Earlier this week, US gas equipment manufacturer Chart Industries Inc said that it has been contracted to supply equipment needed for the hydrogen production facility.
The commissioning is expected in 2026.
The City of Lancaster noted in the Wednesday statement that the Center is just the beginning of a plan for future collaboration on the development of the city’s renewable hydrogen infrastructure.
