DOE Establishes Infrastructure Law's $9.5 Billion Clean Hydrogen Initiatives

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
February 16, 2022

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced two requests for information (RFI) to collect feedback from stakeholders to inform the implementation and design of the infrastructure law’s Regional Hydrogen Hub and the Electrolysis and Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling Programs.

The law includes:

• $8 billion for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs that will create jobs to expand use of clean hydrogen in the industrial sector and beyond;
• $1 billion for a Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program to reduce costs of hydrogen produced from clean electricity; and
• $500 million for Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling Initiatives to support equipment manufacturing and strong domestic supply chains.

The RFIs will gather input from a range of stakeholders, including regional leaders, local groups, environmental justice community members, researchers, technology developers, businesses among others to inform the design of clean hydrogen programs, DOE said.

Topics under the Hydrogen Hubs Implementation Strategy RFI include solicitation process, funding opportunity announcement structure, and implementation strategy; equity, environmental and energy justice and priorities; and market adoption and sustainability of the Hydrogen Hubs.

Topics under the Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing, Recycling, and Electrolysis RFI include manufacturing and supply chain of clean hydrogen equipment and components; approaches to recycle hydrogen end use technologies including fuel cells; and development, testing and integration of electrolyzers. 

Feedback received from these RFIs will also support DOE’s Hydrogen Shot efforts to cut to cost of clean hydrogen to $1 per 1 kilogram in one decade.  

Click here for the RFIs.

Click here for resources and opportunities for public power tied to the infrastructure law curated by the American Public Power Association.