California Selected as a National Hydrogen Hub
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson is flanked by City Councilmember Mary Zendejas, Vice Mayor Cindy Allen, Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero, Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners Vice President Bonnie Lowenthal, and port, city and labor officials at an event to discuss the ARCHES hydrogen grant on Oct. 13. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of Port of Long Beach)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a grant of up to $1.2 billion to ARCHES LLC (Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems), a public-private partnership formed to lead California’s bid to create a hydrogen hub.
California’s hydrogen hub project was one of seven selected by the DOE to “accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of low-cost, clean hydrogen” across the nation. According to the Department, clean hydrogen “is a flexible energy carrier that can be produced from a diverse mix of domestic clean energy resources, including renewables, nuclear, and fossil resources with safe and responsible carbon capture.” Its unique characteristics will allow the hubs “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,” DOE reported. “It could also be used as a form of long-duration energy storage to support the expansion of renewable power.”
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are “project partners in the effort to advance the use of hydrogen fuel in goods movement via ARCHES funding,” they reported Oct. 13. ARCHES funding is slated to go to projects statewide and the two San Pedro Bay ports said they will find out their share in the coming months. That funding, to be matched by the ports and their tenants, will involve deployment of hydrogen fuel cell cargo-handling equipment and mobile hydrogen fueling trucks or stations in the ports’ terminals. Subsequent phases will add additional cargo-handling equipment and support the statewide deployment of 5,000 hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks, the ports said.
According to the DOE, the ARCHES hydrogen hub “will leverage the Golden State’s leadership in clean energy technology to produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable energy and biomass. It will provide a blueprint for decarbonizing public transportation, heavy duty trucking, and port operations—key emissions drivers in the state and sources of air pollution that are among the hardest to decarbonize.” The Department noted that ARCHES has committed to “Project Labor Agreements for all projects connected to the hub, which will expand opportunities for disadvantaged communities and create an expected 220,000 direct jobs—130,000 in construction jobs and 90,000 permanent jobs.”
“Investing federal dollars to establish a regional clean hydrogen hub is a home run for both our climate and economy,” U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are providing crucial funding that will drive the nation towards reduced pollution and harmful greenhouse emissions. We will continue to fight for projects that will improve the quality of life for our communities, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to support our infrastructure and environmental goals.”
“This investment will get us one step closer in providing a cleaner and healthier environment in our local communities and for the workers who move cargo,” Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bobby Olvera Jr. said. “By applying this funding in the heart of the nation’s busiest port complex, we’ll also accelerate the development of technology and infrastructure to support a national clean hydrogen network, which will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.”
“Hydrogen will have a critical role as we leverage multiple technology options to achieve zero emissions,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “This funding ARCHES has secured is an important opportunity to accelerate the zero-emissions revolution happening at the San Pedro Bay ports complex. We’re enthusiastic about hydrogen fuel cells powering not only cargo-handling equipment and drayage trucks in the near term, but in the years ahead, tugs, locomotives and other vehicles used to move cargo.”
“We’re thrilled to play a significant role in this hydrogen hub public-private partnership,” said Los Angeles Harbor Commission President Lucille Roybal-Allard. “Transitioning to hydrogen fuel technology in the maritime and transportation industries is critical as the Port of Los Angeles moves toward our ultimate goal of zero emissions.”
“The Port of Los Angeles is eager to partner with ARCHES in our quest to zero-emissions operations,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said. “We’ll use this grant, along with unprecedented levels of port funding, to support the purchase of hydrogen fuel cell powered equipment on all modes of transportation throughout the port complex. We are excited about the transformation that hydrogen will play in our zero emission future.”
