A Memorandum of Understanding signed between two global companies Wednesday will further the goals of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen (ARCH2), officials said.
On Wednesday, global chemistry company The Chemours Company, and North American energy company, TC Energy, announced they would work together toward the development of two electrolysis-based hydrogen production facilities at or near Chemours’ West Virginia manufacturing sites in Washington Works and Belle. The two facilities will support the companies’ participation in ARCH2, they said.
According to the companies, the agreement will cover developing, constructing, and operating clean hydrogen production facilities and the infrastructure needed to support them. The proposal includes using established proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers manufactured in America and utilizing Nafion ion exchange membranes from Chemours.
“As West Virginia’s largest chemical manufacturer, we’re excited by the potential these clean hydrogen production facilities can offer to the State through ARCH2, as well as furthering the decarbonization of our operations,” said Jonathan Lock, senior vice president and chief development officer at Chemours. “Working with TC Energy, we’ve conducted hydrogen blend testing at our Washington Works and Belle sites, demonstrating the feasibility of feeding a hydrogen-natural gas blend fuel to existing fired boiler equipment. We look forward to moving these potential projects forward as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s call for regional clean hydrogen hub submissions alongside the State and seeing how they can assist us in reaching our bold greenhouse gas reduction goal.”
Under the terms of the MOU, a non-binding off-take agreement for hydrogen produced by the project would support facility demands for Chemours, and hydrogen produced in excess of the off-take agreement would be stored for loading and shipment to nearby merchant users.
“At TC Energy, we take a customer-driven approach to developing and executing energy solutions,” said Corey Hessen, executive vice president and president of Power & Energy Solutions at TC Energy. “This relationship with Chemours is an excellent example of putting that commitment into effect – serving their green hydrogen demand. With our long history of operating critical infrastructure in West Virginia, we are excited to develop new clean energy production opportunities and to forge a strong relationship with Chemours.”