A natural gas-fired plant outside Atlanta has completed what is described as the largest 50% hydrogen-gas blending test of its kind in the world. 

The trial was the latest in a series by Georgia Power and Mitsubishi Power at Plant McDonough-Atkinson in Smyrna, Ga., a former coal facility that was converted to natural gas in 2012. 

In 2022, the two companies and the Electric Power Research Institute carried out a similar test that also was the world’s largest up to that point, producing 265 MW at full load from an M501G advanced gas turbine with fuel that was 20% hydrogen by volume. 

In May and June, a series of tests at full and partial load culminated in 283 MW output with 50% hydrogen from an M501GAC turbine that had been converted from steam-cooled to air-cooled. 

The 20% hydrogen test achieved a 7% reduction in carbon emissions compared to 100% natural gas; the 50% hydrogen test achieved a 22% reduction. 

Georgia Power said in a June 16 news release that it entered the collaboration with Mitsubishi as part of its research and development efforts toward affordability, reliability and carbon reduction. 

But it did not specify what it would do with the results. A spokesperson told NetZero Insider that the utility and its partners would study the results of the trials to better assess the future potential of hydrogen. 

What to do with hydrogen is a common question these days. 

Clean hydrogen was a priority of the Biden administration as a clean, or less dirty, alternative to fossil fuels, but the rollout was delayed amid extensive debate over how to define “clean hydrogen” and how to subsidize its development. Many of the potential investments in hydrogen industrialization contemplated by the private sector were held back until these critical details were finalized. 

Final rules for the key 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit were not issued until January 2025 — more than two years after the credit was authorized and less than three weeks before the arrival of President Donald Trump and his sharply different energy agenda. 

The latest word on congressional budget negotiations is that 45V is in line to be slashed or scrapped, the biggest loser among all the Biden-era green initiatives. 

Without the federal government’s carrot or stick urging wider adoption of hydrogen, an already-challenging proposition is losing some of its appeal. But some had never been sold on widespread use of hydrogen in the first place. 

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, for example, criticized the concept of hydrogen-fueled gas turbines in an August 2024 report, laying out all the challenges that face such an attempt and pitching existing options as better alternatives. 

If nothing else, hydrogen is not a one-to-one substitute for natural gas: It is much less energy-dense, meaning a greater volume is needed to generate the same amount of electricity. A 50-50 mix by volume, as at McDonough-Atkinson, does not produce anywhere near a 50% reduction in emissions because much more methane than hydrogen is being burned. 

Further, the process of producing hydrogen can be expensive, create emissions of its own or result in a net loss of energy potential — or some combination of the three. 

Natural gas remains the largest U.S. power source. The 2,084 utility-scale gas-fired power plants tallied by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2023 produced 43% of the nation’s electricity. 

But in 2024, EIA counted fewer than a dozen of those plants flirting with hydrogen: four facilities besides McDonough-Atkinson where hydrogen co-firing had been tested, three new plants that were hydrogen-capable and two plants where planned upgrades would add hydrogen capabilities. 

Georgia Power expects to be burning natural gas for many years to come. Its 2025 integrated resource plan proposed nuclear uprates, natural gas expansion, and delayed coal and gas retirements to meet anticipated demand growth. (See Georgia Power Proposes Nuclear Uprate, Delay in Fossil Retirement.) 

In its June 16 news release, Southern Co.’s largest electric subsidiary said natural gas remains a central part of its strategy. 

“Natural gas serves a critical role in our generation mix, providing flexibility, baseload power and quick response to customer demand, and will continue to be an important fuel as we plan to meet the energy needs of a growing Georgia through a diverse portfolio of generation resources,” Senior Production Officer Rick Anderson said. 

But hydrogen is one of the future avenues the utility is considering, and the McDonough-Atkinson trials are part of that, he added. “Innovative testing such as this is just one way we help ensure we can deliver reliable and affordable energy for customers for decades into the future and reduce our overall emissions.”