MACH2 Hydrogen Hub in Pa. Received Federal Funding

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) on Friday, Jan. 17 awarded funding to the final two regional clean hydrogen hubs to establish critical energy infrastructure in America’s Heartland and the Mid-Atlantic.

In Pennsylvania, OCED awarded the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, led by Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub, Inc. (MACH2), with $18.8 million (of the total federal cost share of up to $750 million) to begin Phase 1 activities.

MACH2 was one of two hydrogen hub projects partially located in Pennsylvania that are expected to share $7 billion in U.S. federal grants to fuel the clean-energy initiative and fight climate change. Pennsylvania is the only state with portions of two hubs. The president announced the two state-related projects during a public address in Philadelphia on Oct. 13.

MACH2 is planned for southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and Delaware. The other Pennsylvania project, the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2), is planned for western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and West Virginia. OCED awarded $30 million (of as much as $925 million in federal funds) to ARCH2 for its first phase in July 2024. Community meetings are under way there.

The Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub plans to develop hydrogen production facilities using both established and innovative electrolyzer technologies, which could help reduce costs and drive further technology adoption.

The clean hydrogen produced by the hub would be used in industrial applications – such as power generation and replacement fuel for process heaters – and heavy-duty transportation, with several refueling stations planned to serve sanitation trash trucks, street sweepers, cargo handling equipment, and fuel cell electric buses  This would contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions by approximately 1 million metric tons per year, equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 220,000 gasoline-powered cars. Phase 1 includes initial planning, design, and community and labor engagement activities.