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CA Company Locates in Lycoming, PA to Build Hydrogen Storage Tanks

Verne, Inc., a California-based energy company, announced last week that it will open its first manufacturing plant in the Marcellus Energy Park near Muncy, Lycoming County, PA. Verne developed a process to increase the density of hydrogen by storing the gas in a cold and compressed state, making it more efficient to transport in larger volumes. The new PA facility (which should be up and running in nine months) will build the storage tanks for this cold hydrogen. The hydrogen will be transported via truck to power data centers, drilling sites, construction sites, and more. Read More “CA Company Locates in Lycoming, PA to Build Hydrogen Storage Tanks”

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EQT, KeyState Still Committed to ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Projects

Yesterday, MDN informed you that CNX Resources is still considering (but not yet 100% committed) to a plan to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) using coalbed methane (see Plan for Sustainable Aviation Fuel at PIT Changes, KeyState Out). The article, sourced from the Pittsburgh Business Times (PBT), referenced the fact that the future of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) is in question. In a follow-up to that story, the PBT has a new article that proclaims both EQT Corporation and KeyState Energy, with projects that are part of the ARCH2 Hub, remain committed to those projects, regardless of what happens to ARCH2. Read More “EQT, KeyState Still Committed to ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Projects”

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U.S. Green Hydrogen “Boom” Went Bust Before Trump & GOP Won

Every now and again, the left will deal honestly with energy issues. It’s rare, but it happens. Recently, a journalist for Canary Media made the following stark admission in an article: “Even before Trump and fellow Republicans began pulling the financial rug out from under the industry, green hydrogen megaprojects were collapsing.” He goes on to list the evidence for “green” hydrogen’s collapse—prior to Trump and the Republicans coming into power in January. Read More “U.S. Green Hydrogen “Boom” Went Bust Before Trump & GOP Won”

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Georgia Power Succeeds Using 50% Hydrogen-to-Gas in Power Plant

50% hydrogen blend testing successfully completed at Georgia Power’s Plant McDonough-Atkinson

Here’s a truly noteworthy hydrogen story. If you’ve read MDN for any length of time, you’ll know that while we’re not against hydrogen energy, we keep asking the question: Where are all the customers for it? You can convert water into hydrogen with no CO2 involved (called “green” hydrogen), or use the more common natural gas and capture the CO2 (called “blue” hydrogen), and produce enormous volumes of hydrogen. But if there are no customers who want to buy this cleaner and greener energy source, what’s the point? Hydrogen molecules behave differently in steel pipes than natural gas, making it unlikely to be widely used as a replacement for natgas by utility companies to sell to homeowners and businesses. However, there is one end-user, power plants, where hydrogen may have a meaningful role to play. Georgia Power and Mitsubishi Power are showing how that can happen. Read More “Georgia Power Succeeds Using 50% Hydrogen-to-Gas in Power Plant”

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Blue Hydrogen Facilities Could Move Needle on NatGas Demand This Yr

An interesting report from BTU Analytics connects many of the dots that (for us) have been missing with respect to hydrogen production from natural gas that captures carbon dioxide in the process—called “blue hydrogen.” As you know, we’ve been skeptical of the big push to produce hydrogen as a magic replacement for other forms of energy, particularly natural gas. Environmentalists pay lip service to loving hydrogen because it burns “clean” with no CO2 emissions. Why not just burn natural gas (and capture the CO2) instead of going through the time and expense of converting natural gas into hydrogen? Please, don’t ask such common-sense questions. It marks you as a MAGA extremist. Read More “Blue Hydrogen Facilities Could Move Needle on NatGas Demand This Yr”

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Va. Tech Gets $1.3M Grant to Turn NatGas into “Turquoise” Hydrogen

Oh, the many different “colors” of hydrogen (and natural gas). The wacko left dreams up all sorts of labels for the things they do and don’t like, hoping to influence the weak of mind to buy into their psychoses. The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), a U.S. federal–state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life, has just awarded a $1.3 million grant to Virginia Tech to figure out how to produce “turquoise” hydrogen from Virginia natural gas. What the heck is turquoise hydrogen? Read More “Va. Tech Gets $1.3M Grant to Turn NatGas into “Turquoise” Hydrogen”

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Trump DOE Reviewing Biden Hydrogen Hub Funding; Will ARCH2 Survive?

The Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2), led by West Virginia and Ohio, was one of seven projects to win the Bidenista Hunger Games competition to receive a chunk of $7 billion to build a regional hydrogen hub (see Hydrogen Hub Winners Announced – WV Takes Prize in M-U Region). ARCH2 is (was) slated to receive $925 million of the $7 billion pot. It was selected specifically because it will use Marcellus/Utica shale gas as the feedstock to create hydrogen. The hydrogen hub projects were a line item in the so-called Infrastructure and Jobs Act, passed in November 2021 (see Biden So-Called $1.2T Infrastructure Bill Passes Thanks to RINOs). Upon entering office for his second term, Donald Trump paused any more distribution of Biden’s billions, including distributions for the hydrogen hub projects. Read More “Trump DOE Reviewing Biden Hydrogen Hub Funding; Will ARCH2 Survive?”

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EQT Still Committed to ARCH2 Hub Despite Tax Credits, Funding Freeze

EQT Corp. remains committed to its low-carbon aviation fuel (LCAF) project and the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) even though federal funding for ARCH2 and other hydrogen hub projects around the country is now in question. EQT CEO Toby Rice told the Pittsburgh Business Times that his company continues to evaluate building a clean hydrogen plant. EQT remains a lead partner in ARCH2. Read More “EQT Still Committed to ARCH2 Hub Despite Tax Credits, Funding Freeze”

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CNX No Longer Participating in ARCH2 Appalachian Hydrogen Hub

CNX Resources, one of the original founding partners in the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) project created during the Biden administration, has “paused” its participation in the project. CNX is no longer listed as a partner on the ARCH2 website and confirmed to the Pittsburgh Business Times it is no longer participating (for now) while it waits to see whether the Trump administration will move forward with ARCH2 and the other hydrogen hubs promised $7 billion in funding during the previous administration. Trump froze funding for the hydrogen hub projects and is currently reviewing the program, placing all seven hydrogen hub projects, including ARCH2, in limbo. Read More “CNX No Longer Participating in ARCH2 Appalachian Hydrogen Hub”

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Enviro Fraudsters Attack ARCH2 Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, Again

In May 2024, more than 50 “groups” colluding with ringleader Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI) sent a letter to the Department of Energy (DOE) calling for the suspension of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2), falsely claiming an “extreme lack of transparency” and lack of “meaningful community engagement” during project negotiations (see Anti-Fossil Fuel Groups Try New Effort to Cancel ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub). They’re baaaaack! But this time, the ORVI group of radicals has shrunk to just 27 “groups.” Read More “Enviro Fraudsters Attack ARCH2 Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, Again”

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Austrian Co. Claims Projects Use 100% Hydrogen for Powergen

An Austrian-based company claims its hydrogen-to-power projects are demonstrating the viability of using hydrogen gas engines, with some installations in Germany, the Netherlands, and South Korea using 100% hydrogen. At a company-hosted event, representatives discussed how natural gas-fired plants are adaptable for future hydrogen conversion and detailed the technical modifications required to support this energy transition. There is at least one gas-fired power plant in the Marcellus/Utica experimenting with blending hydrogen with natgas, the Long Ridge Energy Terminal in Monroe County, OH, (see OH Long Ridge Energy Power to Blend Hydrogen with Utica Gas). Read More “Austrian Co. Claims Projects Use 100% Hydrogen for Powergen”

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Hydrogen Energy is Promising, but Widespread Use Decades Away

As Joan Rivers used to say: Can we talk? In other words, can we have an honest and open conversation…about hydrogen energy? There’s a lot of hype around the topic of hydrogen. Some promising early innovations around hydrogen and its use in applications like gas-fired power plants exist. However, as a sobering new commentary by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy makes clear, the future of hydrogen “is not imminent.” Even fracking wasn’t an overnight hit. It took from the early 1980s until the early 2000s (about 20 years) before fracking *began* to take off in a major way. It took another decade or so before fracking went big time. Call it 30 years. So why would we expect hydrogen to be some spectacular overnight success? That’s just not how energy revolutions happen. Read More “Hydrogen Energy is Promising, but Widespread Use Decades Away”

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Biden Treasury Dept. Ruins 45V “Clean” Hydrogen Tax Credit

On Jan. 3, the Biden IRS issued its final clean hydrogen tax credit rule, otherwise known as the 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit. We previously wrote about 45V back in June (see Biden IRS 45V Tax Rule Endangers Hydrogen Hub Projects in M-U). Our take back then has not changed with the release of the final rule. The 45V tax credit, part of the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), can only be used if the hydrogen produced is “green” — meaning NOT made from natural gas. In addition, the electricity used to produce the hydrogen can’t come from fossil fuel sources like natural gas (if you want the tax credit). From what we can tell, nothing changed between then and now, other than allowing coal-mine methane to qualify for the higher tax credit. Read More “Biden Treasury Dept. Ruins 45V “Clean” Hydrogen Tax Credit”

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ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Open House Brings Out Anti-Fossil Fuelers

Last August, MDN told you that the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) officially received its first $30 million from the Bidenistas (see EQT & Others Enter “Phase 1” of Hydrogen Hub; DOE Cuts $30M Check). ARCH2 is getting $925 million from a $7 billion pot. ARCH2, one of seven projects to win approval, was selected specifically because it will use Marcellus/Utica shale gas as the feedstock to create hydrogen (so-called “blue” hydrogen). At an open house yesterday in Ohio, anti-shale protesters showed up to register their discontent with “clean” hydrogen because it will “perpetuate fracking.” We wonder how it feels never to have graduated from kindergarten. Read More “ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Open House Brings Out Anti-Fossil Fuelers”

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Register Support for M-U Hydrogen Hub at Scoping Hearing or Online

Last August, MDN told you that the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) officially received its first $30 million from the Bidenistas (see EQT & Others Enter “Phase 1” of Hydrogen Hub; DOE Cuts $30M Check). ARCH2 is getting $925 million from a $7 billion pot. ARCH2, one of seven projects to win approval, was selected specifically because it will use Marcellus/Utica shale gas as the feedstock to create hydrogen (so-called “blue” hydrogen). The project got an official HQ last year at the West Virginia University (WVU) Innovation Corp. center in Morgantown, West Virginia (see ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Gets an Official Headquarters in Morgantown, WV). Residents from WV, PA, and OH who want to register their concerns, opposition, or (most importantly) support for ARCH2 and the projects that are part of the plan can do so either at an online scoping hearing on Jan. 16 or by submitting comments via email (or in writing) by Mar. 3. Read More “Register Support for M-U Hydrogen Hub at Scoping Hearing or Online”

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MACH2 Hydrogen Hub, Opposed by PA Green Groups, Crashing & Burning

Members of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network lean into the release of the movie “Wicked” to protest outside a green hydrogen conference in Philadelphia on Nov. 19. Credit: Kyle Bagenstose/Inside Climate News

In October 2024, the Bidenistas announced the Hydrogen Hub Hunger Games winners (see Hydrogen Hub Winners Announced – WV Takes Prize in M-U Region). Seven projects were selected from 33 finalists. Among the winners was the West Virginia-led Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2), which is a project that will use Marcellus/Utica natural gas as the feedstock to produce “blue” hydrogen, which is hydrogen made from natgas where carbon dioxide from the process is captured and either used or stored underground. ARCH2 qualifies for up to $925 million of your taxpayer money. Another winner was the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2) project, centered in Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware. MACH2, funded up to $750 million, will give a few economic table scraps to the Philly area, which excites and titillates PA politicians. However, according to Inside Climate News, the MACH2 project is crashing and burning. Read More “MACH2 Hydrogen Hub, Opposed by PA Green Groups, Crashing & Burning”