PENN VALLEY, PA — Securing $925 million in federal funding for the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub is a major step – and the first step of many more steps — proponents say.
Shawn Bennett, division manager for energy and resilience at Battelle, the prime sponsor for the hub, said in an interview last week.
Certainly, the states involved with the hub, including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky, are looking for substantial growth in terms of job creation and economic development.
“The hub project is a huge opportunity for the region as we migrate from the current energy industry to a new energy opportunity focused around hydrogen,” Bennett said.
Bennett is one of the impressive list of speakers at the Appalachian Hydrogen & Carbon Capture Conference V, Nov. 30, at the Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe/Pittsburgh. The program is presented by Shale Directories and the CCS Network.
Hydrogen as a feedstock and a fuel source are at the tops of the minds of H2 proponents, and the Appalachian Hub is prepared to be in the center of the action as the hydrogen economy evolves.
Bennett said the Appalachian Hub is already getting interest from data centers, whose computers systems and associated components such as telecommunications and storage systems, use huge volumes of power.
“The data centers are looking for cleaner sources of energy like hydrogen, which the hub can provide,” according to Bennett.
“Battelle’s involvement in our conference and Bennett speaking will provide attendees with a very realistic understanding of the project happening now and the one on the horizon,” stated Tom Gellrich, CEO and Founder, H2-CC2 Network.
Ammonia production is expected to be a huge demand center for H2. A multi-billion-dollar clean ammonia production facility already is advancing in Mingo County, WV, with anticipated construction beginning in 2024.
The Adams Forck Energy clean ammonia project, jointly developed by Adams Fork Energy LLC and the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, is expected to have initial annual ammonia production capacity of 2.16 million metric tons.
Project developers are partnering with natural gas producer CNX to provide the plant fuel and carbon sequestration services.
The ammonia production plant is considered an anchor for the Appalachian Hub. And it’s vitally needed, according to Bennett.
The U.S. currently is an ammonia importer, while Russia is the world’s No. 1 ammonia source, and Ukraine is No. 3. The current conflict is limiting both Russian and Ukraine access to markets.
Other announced projects are Fidelis New Energy’s building a hydrogen project and data center campus in Mason County, West Virginia. Fidelis will be investing up $2 billion in this project.
Hydrogen as a fuel in the transportation industry is garnering tremendous interest. “We see an opportunity to switch over-the-road trucks from diesel to utilizing liquified hydrogen instead,” Bennett said.
Monstrous emissions-spewing mining equipment switching to H2 is an idea whose time has come. According to Bennett, the company First Mode is set to build a new plant in Ohio to construct huge mining drivetrains to run on hydrogen.
“The decarbonizing of the mining industry, both nationally and globally, will have significant benefits to the hard rock, critical minerals, and rare earths sectors carbon intensities,” Bennett said.
Another Appalachian Hub project partner is Plug Power, which has signed a deal with retail behemoth Amazon to develop a forklift that will run on hydrogen.
And while new projects are nearly becoming commonplace, and the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub has no fewer than 14 project partners, Bennett said the consortium has not shut the door to more participants.
“We’re always looking for new potential partners, either on the hydrogen production side, or end users to become part of ARCH2” he said.
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