The US Department of Energy (DOE) and ARCHES (Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems) announced the official signing of a landmark $12.6-billion agreement to build a clean, renewable Hydrogen Hub in California, including the up to $1.2 billion in federal funding that was announced last year when California was selected as a national hub.

ARCHES is the first of seven Hydrogen Hubs throughout the country to officially sign their agreement with the DOE.

The ARCHES hub will facilitate a network of renewable hydrogen production sites to cut fossil fuel use throughout California, with the ultimate goal of decarbonizing public transportation, heavy duty trucking, and port operations by 2 million metric tons per year— roughly the equivalent to annual emissions of 445,000 gasoline-fueled cars.

ARCHES will support:

• 3 large ports with more than 200 pieces of cargo-handling equipment

• 5,000+ fuel-cell-electric trucks

• 1,000+ fuel-cell-electric buses

• 1 marine vessel

• Turbines and stationary fuel cells

• Development of infrastructure for hydrogen transport and use, including 60 heavy-duty fueling stations and 165 miles of open-access pipelines.

The DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has awarded ARCHES with $30 million for the first tranche of funding (out of the total project federal cost share of $1.2 billion) to begin Phase 1, which is expected to last up to 18 months and includes planning, design, and community and labor engagement activities.

OCED will provide project management oversight of the California Hydrogen Hub by evaluating the status and quality of implementation at each phase of the project, including community benefits. Through its phased approach to project management, OCED will review and evaluate the Hub’s progress, including community benefits, which impact OCED’s decision to continue to provide federal funding and allow a project to progress to the following phase.