WASHINGTON, D.C.— As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to $2.2 billion in award commitments for two Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) that will help accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of low-cost, clean hydrogen—a valuable energy product that can be produced with zero or near-zero carbon emissions. The two awardees—Gulf Coast H2Hub and Midwest H2Hub—are critical pillars of DOE's H2Hubs program, which was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to kickstart a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure while supporting the production, storage, delivery, and end-use of clean hydrogen. Building a strong and equitable domestic clean hydrogen economy is a key component of President Biden and Vice President Harris’ plan to strengthen America’s economic competitiveness, create new good-paying, high-quality jobs, and slash harmful emissions that jeopardize public health and pollute local ecosystems.   

As part of the H2Hubs program, DOE is committing up to $1.2 billion of federal cost share for the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub—led by HyVelocity (HyV) and up to $1 billion of federal cost share for the Midwest Hydrogen Hub—led by the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen LLC (MachH2). These awards follow three previously awarded H2Hubs, and together, they will help drive private sector investment in clean hydrogen, setting the nation on a course to hit critical long-term decarbonization objectives.  

University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Professor Greg Keoleian, the co-director of MI Hydrogen and the Center for Sustainable Systems, is supporting the MachH2 hub. 

The University of Michigan's hydrogen initiative, MI Hydrogen, for which School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Professor Gregory Keoleian is a co-director, is part of the MachH2.

Clean hydrogen is a flexible energy carrier that can be produced from a diverse mix of domestic energy resources, including renewables, nuclear, and fossil resources with carbon capture. Its unique characteristics will allow the H2Hubs to substantially reduce harmful emissions from some of the most energy-intensive sectors of the economy, such as chemical and industrial processes and heavy-duty transportation, while creating new economic opportunities across the country. It could also be used as a form of long-duration energy storage to support the expansion of renewable power. By enabling the development of diverse, domestic energy pathways across multiple sectors of the economy, clean hydrogen will strengthen American energy independence and accelerate the American manufacturing boom.  

The Midwest Hydrogen Hub (Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) is located in a key U.S. industrial and transportation corridor (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan. The Hub plans to leverage the region’s diverse energy sources (including renewable wind energy, natural gas, and nuclear energy) to support the decarbonization of industries including steel and glass production, manufacturing, power generation, refining, and heavy-duty transportation across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan. The Midwest Hydrogen Hub anticipates creating approximately 12,000 direct jobs over the project’s lifetime. Learn more here. 

Read the full DOE press release.