Hub Would Displace More Than 420,000 Metric Tons of Carbon Each Year, Create an estimated 8,000 Jobs By 2030
WASHINGTON (MAY 1, 2023) — Today, Connected DMV and a cross-sector coalition of more than 60 partners representing Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia announced that it has submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Energy to create the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub (the Hub) as part of the DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program backed by a total of $8 billion in federal funding. The Hub integrates a portfolio of high-impact hydrogen demand and clean hydrogen production into a regional network of diverse use cases to accelerate market adoption and scale, drive down costs and spur innovation. After submitting a concept paper in late 2022, the Hub received DOE’s encouragement to apply.
The Hub comprises a variety of leading organizations, including Connect Airlines; Connected DMV; Dominion Energy; Exelon Corporation; Montgomery County Government, Maryland; Universal Hydrogen Co.; Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center; WGL Holdings, Inc; and a diverse set of strategic off-takers. The Hub is supported by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Prince George’s County Community College, the University of Maryland and more than 150 additional organizations across the region.
This Hub spans Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia and aligns the region’s leading organizations to deliver solutions that meet market demand. The Hub facilitates a commercially viable hydrogen ecosystem across this Mid-Atlantic region. This strategically diversified and integrated hydrogen Hub will decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors and connect to other hydrogen hubs.
The Hub will deploy infrastructure and establish a marketplace with large commercial-scale production of more than 120 metric tons of clean hydrogen per day, displacing more than 420,000 metric tons of CO2e each year. Furthermore, the Hub will:
Create approximately 8,000 jobs by 2030;
Provide diverse production assets that include a variety of feedstock, geographies, and technologies that offer supply resiliency and drive down the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH);
Serve a diverse set of end-uses across multiple sectors;
Integrate a variety of commercially viable technologies;
Balance and connect production and utilization through industrial-grade infrastructure and process standardization; and
Provide social, environmental, and economic benefits and accelerate workforce readiness for the region, with a strong emphasis on disadvantaged communities.
Our Hub will serve as the marketplace facilitator across the hydrogen supply chain, promoting efficiency, reliability, and security for the region’s H2 stakeholders. The Hub and its partner organizations will build out the following market infrastructure components:
Production: Electrolysis with offshore wind, solar, and nuclear energy and steam methane reforming (SMR) with renewable natural gas (RNG).
Infrastructure: Liquid H2 modules and depots, refueling stations (heavy duty, passenger transit), H2-fueled trucking (gaseous and liquid), pipelines, storage, and liquefiers.
End-Use: Combustion turbine co-firing, stationary fuel cell power generation, fuel cell vehicles (Class 2–8), fuel cell aircraft, and distribution system/injection point blending.
Market operations: Supply and demand matching, physical and financial settlements, cybersecurity, and standards.
U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said:
“We strongly support the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub proposal to the Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program, which is focused on building a robust clean hydrogen economy that will deliver reliable and affordable energy solutions and economic benefits to the DMV region. This project would lower people’s energy costs, support economic recovery and growth, increase economic resiliency, and solidify the region as a key pillar of a national clean hydrogen network.”
The Hub consists of leading industry, government, and educational institutions, as well as trusted community partners and labor leaders. These participants have long-term track records of delivering responsible operations and community benefits in both regulated and competitive markets. These partners are also committing significant resources as a strong show of support for this regionally integrated vision. The DOE and Hub funding will provide market lift-off, leading to long-term economic viability and sustainability across our region, including the metropolitan and surrounding communities of Baltimore, Greater Washington (Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia), Richmond/Central Virginia and Hampton Roads. This single integrated hub will serve as the interconnect between the U.S. Southeast, Northeast, Appalachia and the Midwest. This connection will facilitate the sustainable hydrogen market’s standardization, scale, efficiency and reliability.
The Hub is designed to drive community and workforce benefits where most needed. Strategically, it:
Prioritizes environmental and energy justice for our disadvantaged communities (DACs). Social, environmental, and economic benefits are directed to more than 750 DACs.
Provides a broad spectrum of workforce opportunities. In collaboration with organized labor, the Hub will create career opportunities ranging from entry-level jobs through middle-skill operations, to professional and managerial roles.
Emphasizes formal and experiential training partnerships. The Hub will pave new education-to-workforce talent pathways and create quality hydrogen jobs for women, people of color, and underrepresented workers — including those from rural and tribal communities, and communities with persistent poverty.
The Hub spans urban, suburban and rural communities, along with diverse feedstocks, production methods, end-uses, technologies, workforces, stakeholders and government jurisdictions. This diverse portfolio best enables economic and equitable results and serves to de-risk the investments provided by our government and marketplace partners.
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About Connected DMV
Connected DMV is an initiatives-based, charitable 501(c)(3) organization that works with regional organizations across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia – the DMV – to help drive ongoing improvements to social, digital, and physical infrastructure. Connected DMV focuses on initiatives that span local jurisdictions and require collaboration across the public, private, academia, and community sectors to best achieve the dual objectives of enduring economic growth and social equity. Learn more: https://www.connecteddmv.org/
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