Salt River Project, Partners Developing Plans for Regional Hydrogen Hub

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
November 30, 2022

Salt River Project, along with other members of the Center for an Arizona Carbon-Neutral Economy (AzCaNE), are developing a regional clean hydrogen hub in the Desert Southwest.

The Southwest Clean Hydrogen Innovation Network, or SHINe, submitted a concept paper to seek federal funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) for key clean hydrogen-focused initiatives, including production, processing, storage, delivery systems, community benefits and other enabling infrastructure.

Arizona, the Navajo Nation and Nevada have abundant sunshine that can be a source of solar power to produce clean hydrogen. In addition, Arizona has the nation’s largest nuclear power plant, which can also be used as a source of clean energy for hydrogen production, AzCaNE members said.

“The SHINe network includes salt cavern storage, heavy-duty transportation, and distribution technologies that will help accelerate the use of clean hydrogen as a source of low-carbon energy powering the economy,” Ellen Stechel, AzCaNE’s executive director, said in a statement.

When fully operational, SHINe aims to help support DOE’s vision of a regional clean hydrogen hub that provides clean energy for hard-to-abate carbon emissions in the transportation, industrial and electricity sectors while maintaining a reliable and resilient electric grid.

The DOE has noted that up to $7 billion is available to fund the development of between six and 10 regional clean hydrogen hubs. Funding for regional clean hydrogen hubs was outlined as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which authorized up to $8 billion for at least four regional clean hydrogen hubs.

In February, the DOE announced two requests for information 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.

In March, the governors of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of a regional clean hydrogen hubs.

In September, Maine and Rhode Island joined a multi-state clean hydrogen hub in the New England/Mid-Atlantic region. The New York-led coalition already included Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey.