"One Year In, US Clean Hydrogen Hubs Face Questions — And Have Few Answers"

"There’s little detail available on the $7B federal program to jump-start U.S. clean hydrogen, leaving environmental advocates concerned the projects may be off track."

"A year ago, the U.S. announced ambitious plans to build large-scale clean hydrogen hubs. Now, 12 months later, those plans have advanced little and are still shrouded in uncertainty.

Last October, the U.S. Department of Energy picked seven consortiums across the country to receive up to $7 billion in federal grants. The goal of this startup money? To help the hubs attract tens of billions more in private-sector investment to pay for construction costs. These projects, located around the country, aim to bring together a wide array of organizations to scale up the production, storage, and transport of low- and zero-carbon hydrogen, which some experts view as a way to replace fossil fuels in industries such as steelmaking and aviation.

There’s still little publicly available information to indicate whether these ​“clean hydrogen hubs” are likely to attract the needed private sector investment, however. Just as opaque are their potential community and climate impacts.

Environmental groups, community advocates, and energy experts have grown concerned that the projects are off track — and increasingly dismayed that the DOE and the hub projects are not giving them the transparency needed to confirm or deny these worries."

Jeff St. John reports for Canary Media October 16, 2024.

Source: Canary Media, 10/24/2024