Ohio Clean Hydrogen Hub Alliance Announces Support for ARCH2 Hub Campaign

Ohio Clean Hydrogen Hub Alliance announces support for ARCH2 hub campaign, will actively participate in the effort to secure DOE funding for regional clean hydrogen hub

Columbus, Ohio — Leaders of the Ohio Clean Hydrogen Hub Alliance (OH2Hub) announced today that the group supports and will actively participate in the campaign to establish and secure funding for the Appalachian Regional Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) that was launched by Battelle, EQT Energy, GTI Energy, Allegheny Science and Technology (AST), and the state of West Virginia on September 27, 2022.

The Midwest Hydrogen Center of Excellence (MHCE), Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA), Dominion Energy, and Cleveland State University formed the OH2Hub Alliance in mid-January shortly after President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which included $8 billion in federal funding for the creation of at least four Clean Hydrogen Hubs (CHHs) in various locations around the country. Nearly 200 public and private sector entities are now members of the Alliance.

“We formed the Alliance to ensure that Ohio and Ohioans would have the opportunity to reap the economic and environmental benefits that will flow from the federal government’s commitment to and massive investment in the development of clean hydrogen technology,” SARTA CEO Kirt Conrad said. “We firmly believe ARCH2 will enable us to achieve that objective.”

According to a press release issued by the ARCH2 partners, the Hub will be a cooperative venture that includes private and public entities in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky:

“The region is the ideal location for a clean hydrogen hub, due to its unique access to ample low-cost natural gas feedstock, end-user demand, workforce and technology capability, and carbon sequestration potential.

ARCH2 will be a key foundational component of America’s transition toward decarbonization. The ARCH2 team is composed of entities with operations across the Appalachian region spanning the hydrogen value chain as well as energy technology organizations, including the National Energy Technology Laboratory, consultants, academic institutions, community organizations, and NGOs that will provide commercial, technical, and programmatic leadership for the development and buildout of the hub.”

Mr. Conrad noted that the regional approach has been adopted by states across the nation that intend to compete for hub funding. “Our region possesses the critical mass of

feed stock, producers, end users, infrastructure, highly skilled workforce, and other attributes that will enable ARCH2 to submit the strongest possible proposal to the Department of Energy,” Mr. Conrad said. “We have always believed Ohio and this region are ideal locations for a CHH and we look forward to working with the ARCH2 team to convince the DOE that we are absolutely correct.”

Mr. Conrad noted that SARTA, which operates the largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell- powered transit vehicles in the Western Hemisphere and will be an end user of the hydrogen produced in the hub, has already joined ARCH2 and that he will urge other OH2hub Alliance members to do so.

“This is clearly the best path forward,” he continued. “Clean hydrogen is now an integral component of America’s long-term energy strategy and ARCH2 will enable Ohio to assume a leadership position in the zero-emission economy of the 21st Century. I believe the Alliance is ready to lead.”

Mr. Conrad said the Alliance will remain an active advocate for the CHH project. “We will continue to serve as a point of contact and source of information about the Hub, recruit end users, work with Battelle on drafting the formal proposal that will be submitted to the DOE, encourage the state of Ohio to formally participate in ARCH2, urge the General Assembly to pass any legislation that may be needed to facilitate the development of the hub, and encourage the business community, labor organizations, local elected officials, and the public to support the ARCH2 campaign.”

“We still have a lot of work to do, and the road ahead is definitely challenging,” Mr. Conrad said. “But the Alliance is committed to the CHH concept and to the development of a vibrant hydrogen industry that will generate billions of dollars in public and private sector investment, fuel hydrogen and zero emission R&D, create and preserve thousands of skilled jobs, lead to a significant reduction in emissions, maximize use of Ohio’s bountiful natural gas resources, and enable leading transportation providers, energy producers, steelmakers, refineries, paper mills, and manufacturers to meet their carbon reduction goals.”

“We are truly excited about our vision for the future and eager to make that vision a reality,” he concluded.

For more information, please visit www.oh2hub.org.