The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced up to $2.2 billion in award commitments for two Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) that will help accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of low-cost, clean hydrogen.

The two awardees—Gulf Coast H2Hub and Midwest H2Hub—are part of DOE’s H2Hubs program, which was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to kickstart a national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure while supporting the production, storage, delivery, and end-use of clean hydrogen.

As part of the H2Hubs program, DOE is committing up to $1.2 billion of federal cost share for the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub led by HyVelocity (HyV) and up to $1 billion of federal cost share for the Midwest Hydrogen Hub led by the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen LLC (MachH2). These awards follow three previously awarded H2Hubs.

Clean hydrogen is a flexible energy carrier that can be produced from a diverse mix of domestic energy resources, including renewables, nuclear, and fossil resources with carbon capture. Its unique characteristics will allow the H2Hubs 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. It could also be used as a form of long-duration energy storage to support the expansion of renewable power.

• Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub (HyVelocity Hub; Texas)—By creating a balanced portfolio of producers and consumers, the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub plans to leverage the Gulf Coast region’s abundant renewable energy and natural gas supply to drive down the cost of hydrogen—a crucial piece to achieving market liftoff. Through its core projects, the Hub proposes to produce clean hydrogen from both water through electrolysis and from natural gas while utilizing carbon capture and storage. These proposed investments in clean hydrogen aim to catalyze regional decarbonization solutions and contribute to lifting off the US national clean hydrogen network. This H2Hub is expected to create approximately 45,000 direct jobs over the project’s lifetime.

• Midwest Hydrogen Hub (Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2); Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan)—Located in a key US industrial and transportation corridor, the Hub plans to leverage the region’s diverse energy sources (including renewable wind energy, natural gas, and nuclear energy) to support the decarbonization of industries including steel and glass production, manufacturing, power generation, refining, and heavy-duty transportation across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan. The Midwest Hydrogen Hub anticipates creating approximately 12,000 direct jobs over the project’s lifetime.

DOE’s investment in the H2Hubs program is one of the largest investments in clean manufacturing and jobs in history. The seven selected H2Hubs are expected to collectively produce millions of metric tons of hydrogen annually. Together, they will also reduce tens of millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from end-uses each year.