A group from the Keystone State has submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Energy to build a hydrogen hub in Pennsylvania.
The DOE, via the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), is providing roughly $7 billion in funding to six to ten regional clean hydrogen hubs across America. The submission for Pennsylvania was made by the Team Pennsylvania Foundation (Team PA).
The applicant, Team PA, has established the Decarbonization Network of Appalachia (DNA) H2Hub, which represents a collective vision for emissions reduction and economic revitalization driven by increased GDP, job creation, an expanded and shared concept for community-level investments, and new business opportunities for local supply chains.
“Western Pennsylvania has a long history of energy production and industrial manufacturing – and is home to a skilled workforce ready to build and support the Decarbonization Network of Appalachia (DNA) H2Hub. The DNA coalition has a vision for emissions reduction that prioritizes large-scale deployment of clean hydrogen production and end-users in the tri-state region of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia – a vision that greatly benefits the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and one that I share and strongly support,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said. “We can and must protect and create jobs and protect our planet, and this project will be key to demonstrating that Pennsylvania can lead in this way.”
The group touts the strengths of the region’s natural environment and its workforce, which has an abundance of skilled workers in natural gas and power production. It also cited its universities and research institutions as well as its favorable geography, which will allow it to deploy low-carbon blue hydrogen across the tri-state region.
“Rising to the challenges of our time — climate change, economic transformation, and global inequity — will only be possible with strategic public-private partnership. In kickstarting the clean hydrogen market, Pennsylvania and this region will begin to unlock the solutions for the energy transition and light the way for the nation and the world,” Abby Smith, president and CEO of Team PA, said. “Team PA is proud to submit an application grounded in a spirit of collaboration and driven by the power of our industry, labor, academic, nonprofit, and civic leaders.”
In addition, the team has tapped Shell USA and Mitsubishi Power Americas to oversee the technical and commercial aspects and implementation of multiple hydrogen production facilities and supporting infrastructure.
The goal is to supply clean hydrogen to end-users in polymer manufacturing and power generation. But as it expands, it has the opportunity to decarbonize industries like steel, which sits at the heart of regional manufacturing.
Leading the initiative for Team PA is Tom Murphy, whose title is senior managing director of strategic energy initiatives. Formerly, Murphy was the director of the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research at Pennsylvania State University. He has worked on a range of energy transition projects over the past 35 years, including the convergence of shale energy and renewables, specifically with utility scale solar in greenfield communities. His vast experiences inform this effort, which is focused on directly replacing natural gas with hydrogen in hard-to-abate industry sectors.
“This is a generational opportunity for Pennsylvania and the region,” Murphy said. “And we’re ready to take the lead.”