October 31, 2022 • Paul Rodden • Season: 2022 • Episode: 159
Listen Now:
>Direct Link To The Hydrogen Podcast MP3<
Listen On Your Favorite App:
Welcome to The Hydrogen Podcast!
In episode 159, Hart energy talks corporate hydrogen collaboration, and the CEO of EQT really wants an Appalachian hydrogen hub. All of this on today’s hydrogen podcast.
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the podcast. Please feel free to email me at info@thehydrogenpodcast.com with any questions. Also, if you wouldn’t mind subscribing to my podcast using your preferred platform… I would greatly appreciate it.
Respectfully,
Paul Rodden
VISIT THE HYDROGEN PODCAST WEBSITE
https://thehydrogenpodcast.com
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG
https://thehydrogenpodcast.com/blog/
WANT TO SPONSOR THE PODCAST? Send us an email to: info@thehydrogenpodcast.com
NEW TO HYDROGEN AND NEED A QUICK INTRODUCTION?
Start Here: The 6 Main Colors of Hydrogen
Transcript:
Hart energy talks corporate hydrogen collaboration, and the CEO of EQT really wants an Appalachian hydrogen hub. All of this on today’s hydrogen podcast.
So the big questions in the energy industry today are, how is hydrogen the primary driving force behind the evolution of energy? Where’s capital being deployed for hydrogen projects globally? And where are the best investment opportunities for early adopters who recognize the importance of hydrogen? I will address the critical issues and give you the information you need to deploy capital. Those are the questions that will unlock the potential of hydrogen. And this podcast will give you the answers. My name is Paul Rodden, and welcome to the hydrogen podcast.
In an article from Hart Energy Velda Addison writes, momentum grows for hydrogen as partnerships emerge, as momentum grows for clean hydrogen energy executives looking to build a hydrogen economy and reach net zero goals agree that partnerships and collaboration will be needed. And a quote from Bill Newsom, President and CEO of Mitsubishi power America’s it’s going to take partnerships and thinking about partnerships in a different way, not just saying in your silos, but putting your egos and your preconceived notions aside and looking at a new ecosystem of partnerships. This unprecedented collaboration, it’s what’s going to get us to net zero by 2050. High expectations exist for clean hydrogens potential to decarbonize sectors where electrification isn’t the most viable option. There are challenges infrastructure, storage, and balancing supply and demand. However, matching needed skill sets through partnerships and collaboration could help advance hydrogen developments.
For Mitsubishi, a power generation energy storage and digital solutions specialists that will invest $12 billion over the next nine years in energy transition technologies. The hydrogen journey has included teaming up with companies on paths they wouldn’t normally cross. One of these partners includes Magnum development, an expert in underground geological formations and hydrogen storage and salt domes. The two are working together via the ACES Delta LLC joint venture to develop what could become one of the world’s largest industrial green hydrogen facilities. Located in central Utah, the advanced clean energy storage project will convert renewable energy via a 220 megawatt electrolyzer bank to produce up to 100 metric tons of green hydrogen per day. The Hub which will use to 4.5 million barrels, salt caverns for storage will also support the inner Mountain Power agency’s IPP renewed project, an 840 megawatt power plant designed to initially use 30% Hydrogen fuel, the rest of natural gas rising to 100% hydrogen by 2045.
And again, a quote from Newsom we’re about 70% done with the first cavern and the first brine pond. Just seeing this thing come to fruition is really amazing, and a demonstration of unprecedented collaboration. Just like the shale revolution brought companies of all types to drive innovation, unlock complex plays and lower costs, the pursuit of hydrogen is bringing companies together. Collaboration is happening amongst peers and across industries, as solutions are sought for challenges involving cost scale storage and infrastructure. In a quote from Michael Ducker, Senior Vice President of hydrogen infrastructure for Mitsubishi power Americas. If we work together, if we solve these problems together, not only will we move faster, we’ll have more innovative solution a more cost effective solution. speaking on a panel at the conference alongside executives from Air Liquide, and Green Hydrogen International Corp. Ducker explained that a company may give up a little more of the pie it normally would, but recognize that the pie is going to be a heck of a lot bigger, again, get there a lot quicker and be more innovative if we work together.
Collaboration really is key to our strategy, and great to see that’s part of the strategy of many others out there too. Working with Australia based Energy Estate, a renewable energy development Green hydrogen International Corp, aims to develop a hydrogen hub in South Texas. Called Hydrogen City, Texas, the 60 gigawatt project will be powered by solar and wind energy with salt dome storage, and is targeting production of more than two and a half billion kilograms of green hydrogen per year. And a quote from Brian Maxwell, CEO of green hydrogen International. It’s definitely a very long value chain. He said this pointing out the need for renewables distribution, storage, electrolyzers and ammonia plants. He also says there will be collaboration on different levels of the chain for sure. I think that’s a given. Hydrogen producer Air Liquide. Heat is also among the companies jointly pursuing more hydrogen developments.
The company has forged JV’s with Siemens energy focused on production of industrial scale, renewable hydrogen electrolyzers in Europe, and one with Grupe ADP to develop hydrogen infrastructure at airports, among other partnerships. In a quote from Katie Ellet, president of hydrogen energy mobility, North America for Air Liquide the collaboration part makes the lawyers nervous. But we have had conversations that we haven’t had as openly as maybe we have had before. She called it an opportunity that drives market efficiency. She says, you start to say, Okay, we have to do this quickly. We need to lay this down fast. So what are you good at? What am I good at? And how do we work together to move forward? She says, looking at the big picture, this is about climate change. This is about reducing that carbon footprint. This is about leaving the world better for those who are left behind us. Okay, so really an inspiring article and some great quotes from the hydrogen North America conference from Reuters that I was a part of. And the truth is, the senior executives from these multinational corporations have it right.
Collaboration is the key to moving forward. Now, it may not seem obvious to some of us at the time. But when I covered different press releases, citing various joint ventures and Memorandums of Understanding between two disparate companies that would never previously have thought of collaboration are now joining forces in their efforts to both reach net zero goals with hydrogen as the agent bringing these corporations together. And while to date, dozens of these press releases, joint ventures memorandums of understanding have been released. I expect a massive increase in these press releases to be coming next year. Next, in an article in the Pittsburgh Business Times. Paul J. Gough writes EQT CEO Toby Rice sees opportunity for Appalachian hydrogen hub. One of the leaders in the Pittsburgh region’s push toward a regional hydrogen and carbon capture storage hub said Appalachia is the perfect spot when it comes to the expected next step in the energy transition. According to Toby Rice, President and CEO of Pittsburgh based EQT Corporation, Appalachia is ideally suited to lead the charge in clean hydrogen production and United States given abundant low cost, low emission, natural gas, interconnected infrastructure and storage, existing transportation networks and proximity to major end use markets.
Rice and EQT have been among the leading voices for the region’s move to build a hydrogen carbon capture hub, a multibillion dollar initiative to reduce and eliminate the emissions linked to climate change by revamping manufacturing power and other energy uses to hydrogen. EQT is a founding member of Appalachian energy future a group of companies that are working to build up awareness among policymakers and the public on the wisdom of hydrogen and carbon capture. It’s also joined by the Appalachian Regional clean hydrogen hub also known as Arch2 a consortium of EQT the state of West Virginia, Battelle and others that want to build a hydrogen production facility in West Virginia, and infrastructure in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Arch2 will be one of the groups seeking funding from an $8 billion opportunity from the federal government proposals are due in early November and full applications in February, a decision on the first stage of funding between eight and 10 burgeoning hydrogen hubs nationwide is expected in the second half of 2023. EQT is among the companies that would like to see hydrogen, which has a low emissions profile and an end use created from Marcellus and Utica Shale natural gas that would ensure a future for natural gas, especially paired with technology that would capture any carbon emissions, and then turn it into a solid that would either be repurposed into another product or transported as a liquid to be stored permanently underground.
In a conference call with analysts, Rice said he was excited about the potential for the technology to decarbonize at an attractive price. It’s not clear he said when that would happen, and that EQT would temperate spending in the short term. He said before we put any dollars significant dollars there, we would need to understand the profitability of those costs is a major issue. But so is demand because for the time being natural gas is far cheaper than hydrogen. The hydrogen hub, he said is going to allow us to get past that chicken and egg issue. And I think it’s going to be a really good example of the collaboration necessary to make These exciting zero carbon solutions
are reality. And in the end, he said more to come. Alright, so a very interesting article. And it’s also very exciting to see this CEO saying these words about hydrogen. Now for those of you who know US midstream, you know who Tobey Rice is. This is the man who went toe to toe with one of the biggest midstream companies in the United States and ended up owning the company when they were done. So when he sees something that he wants, and he knows it’s worth it, he goes for it.
Alright, that’s it for me, everyone. If you have a second, I would really appreciate it. If you could leave a good review on whatever platform it is that you listen to Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google, YouTube, whatever it is, that will be a tremendous help to the show. And as always, if you ever have any feedback, you’re welcome to email me directly at info@thehydrogenpodcast.com. And as always, take care. Stay safe. I’ll talk to you later.
Hey, this is Paul. I hope you liked this podcast. If you did and want to hear more. I’d appreciate it if you would either subscribe to this channel on YouTube, or connect with your favorite platform through my website at www.thehydrogenpodcast.com. Thanks for listening. I very much appreciate it. Have a great day.
