Washington officials are seeking to bolster the state’s case to land one of the nation’s federally funded hydrogen hubs.
Gov. Jay Inslee and Lisa Brown, director of the Washington Department of Commerce, have been working in recent months to coordinate the state’s activities in seeking a piece of an $8 billion U.S. Department of Energy fund to create regional hydrogen hubs to produce and distribute the fuel for industrial and transportation applications.
“This is a ruthless competition nationwide. It’ll be political malpractice not to leave everything on the field,” state Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D) said at the Future of Carbon Policy Forum held at Seattle’s Space Needle last week.
Speaking at the forum, Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) said roughly 80 proposals will likely be whittled down to four to eight regional hubs, translating into $1 billion to $2 billion for each.
On Feb. 24, Inslee sent a letter to dozens of state agencies, utilities and private companies saying that Washington stands a good chance to host one of the hubs, citing the state’s extensive efforts in in combating greenhouse gas emissions.
“Washington has the lowest carbon intensive grid in the United States. The opportunity to develop truly green hydrogen and understand how it fits into a modern decarbonized economy is possible today in the state of Washington. No other region is as advanced in this area,” Inslee wrote.
He pointed to several utilities and private companies in Washington that are already delving into hydrogen production reduction or use. These include Microsoft, Amazon, PACCAR — which is building hydrogen-fueled semi-trucks — and the Port of Tacoma and Douglas County Public Utility District, which are exploring manufacturing hydrogen. Washington State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are also conducting hydrogen-related research.
The Douglas County PUD is the farthest along, building a $25 million hydrogen plant expected to go online in late 2022 or early 2023. (See Wash. PUD Breaks Ground on Hydrogen Plant.)
In an interview with NetZero Insider, the PUD’s General Manager Gary Ivory said that while no contracts have yet been signed for the output from the plant, potential customers have expressed interest in more hydrogen than the planned facility would be able to produce. Douglas County has more land set aside to expand the operation after construction of the original plant is complete.
In an April 4 letter to the same organizations addressed by Inslee’s letter, Brown wrote that the state, utilities and private companies recently created the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association, which is expected to coordinate hub-related efforts starting in May. In its 2022 session, the state legislature allocated $2 million to those efforts.
Lawmakers this year also passed a bill (SB 5910) establishing the Office of Renewable Fuels within the Commerce Department to support the development of renewable fuel and electrolytic hydrogen projects. (See Green Hydrogen Bill Passes Wash. Legislature.)
In her letter, Brown noted that the legislature also recently expanded the responsibilities of the state’s Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council, giving the agency siting authority over renewable fuel projects. Lawmakers also created tax breaks for renewable energy projects if they met specific labor hiring standards, Brown wrote.