California Hydrogen Hub kicks off
The plan is to create a network of production facilities for green hydrogen, which will be used for various purposes, including vehicles. The ultimate goal is to cut CO2 emissions of local public transport, heavy goods vehicles and port operations by 2 million tonnes per year.
California wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and cut air pollution by 71 per cent. To that end, more than 5,000 Class 8 fuel cell trucks and over 1,000 fuel cell buses will hit the road in the Golden State as part of the hydrogen hub. California will also add 200 pieces of cargo-handling equipment at three large ports. In addition, the plan includes the development of H2 infrastructure, “including 60 heavy-duty fueling stations and 165 miles of open-access pipelines.”
“California is revolutionizing how a major world economy can clean up its biggest industries. We’re going to use clean, renewable hydrogen to power our ports and public transportation – getting people and goods where they need to go, just without the local air pollution,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, California is excited to pioneer this world-leading initiative that’ll show other states and countries what’s possible when you prioritize clean energy and public health.”
As mentioned above, the US Department of Energy (DOE) will fund the project with 1.2 billion dollars. The remaining 11.4 billion dollars come from public and private matching funds.
“The Department of Energy’s announcement to fund ARCHES is a monumental step forward in the state’s efforts to achieve its air quality, climate and energy goals, while improving the health and wellbeing of Californians and creating new green jobs across the state,” said Angelina Galiteva, CEO or ARCHES. “We are grateful to the DOE for its commitment to building a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem and marketplace and look forward to working with our project partners, stakeholders and diverse communities throughout the State to make this project a success.”
California has been supporting several H2 projects. Just last month, the US Coast Guard approved its very first hydrogen-fueled vessel to enter commercial service in the San Francisco Bay Area. The state is also funding the so-called ‘Zero-Emission Regional Truck Operations with Fuel Cell Electric Trucks,’ or NorCAL ZERO Project in Oakland, which aims to decarbonise freight transport.
0 Comments