Reps support bid for hydrogen hub funding

Congressional representatives from Ohio and Michigan are backing an application by the Great Lakes Clean Hydrogen Hub coalition for funding from the $8 billion U.S. Department of Energy program that supports the creation of regional clean hydrogen hubs.
The GLCH application includes a $2 billion plan to create a clean hydrogen hub to serve Ohio and Michigan and portions of Pennsylvania and Indiana.
The goal of the proposed hub is to produce clean hydrogen at a competitive cost.
In a letter to Jennifer Granholm, secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, the members of congress, including Marcy Kaptur and Bob Latta, make their case for the GLCH application.
“The GLCH is a direct outgrowth of DOE investment at Energy Harbor’s Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Northern Ohio to demonstrate ways to produce hydrogen through electrolysis,” the letter says. “Working with the Idaho National Laboratory and the University of Toledo, this project found ways to produce pure hydrogen at the station while maintaining the strict safety requirements of nuclear generated power. Through this work, the University of Toledo found that there was vast demand for pure hydrogen in our region, as local industries have corporate goals to reduce carbon emissions.”
The members of congress credit the GLCH for assembling leaders from industry, academia, and laboratories over the past three years to meet demand for pure hydrogen.
The prime applicant is Linde, a global industrial gases and engineering company. Partners from industry include Cleveland Cliffs, GE Aerospace, Owens-Illinois, Pilkington, and Owens Corning. In addition to UT, universities include Michigan Technical University, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan-Flint, Case Western Reserve, Central State University, and the University of Cincinnati.
“The hub leverages the research and technical assets of the national laboratories with participation from the Idaho National Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory,” the letter says.
Community and technical colleges from both states, led by Owens Community College, will conduct trade and technical workforce training.
Thirteen other members of congress also signed the bi-partisan letter.