Mar 21st 2022 | Posted in Energy by Government Contracting Pipeline

Oklahoma – The states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma have entered a partnership to establish a regional hub for development, production, and use of clean hydrogen as fuel and feedstock, which is raw material for manufacturing.
In entering the agreement, the states intend to compete as a unit for a portion of $8 billion funding established in the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, in which the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is directed to seek out and select regional clean hydrogen hubs to fund.
DOE will rate hubs based on mix of feedstock available to produce hydrogen, available users of hydrogen, geographic locations, and potential effects on employment, among other considerations.
The three-state partnership builds upon existing advantages such as an inland seaport system, intermodal rail, pipeline infrastructure, and interstate freight highways. In addition, hydrogen is available for demonstration with large, new, clean hydrogen production hubs scheduled to come online soon.
Other provisions in the agreement call for:
  • Promoting investment in infrastructure for production and transportation of low-carbon hydrogen.
  • Prioritizing direct capture of carbon for all phases of hydrogen development.
  • Working with industry, transportation networks, and ports to connect major facilities with high carbon footprints to hydrogen infrastructure for fuel blending and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
  • Working to support hydrogen production to support all phases of industry that can use hydrogen as a fuel source.
Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas have been focused on hydrogen as an additional resource in their all-of-the-above approach to a diversified and clean energy portfolio. In late 2021, a hydrogen-from-natural-gas project with carbon capture and sequestration was announced in Louisiana and a large electrolytic production hub was announced in Oklahoma.
A coalition of Mountain West States comprising Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming signed an agreement in February to coordinate and develop a regional clean hydrogen hub.
The four signatory states will develop a Western Inter-State Hydrogen Hub (WISHH) with supporting facilities in each state in response to the request for proposals that the DOE is expected to release in May.