Western Pa. to get Hydrogen Hub designation as part of $7B nationwide investment

The White House is set to announce potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in investment for the Western Pennsylvania region with boosting for an energy project meant to produce hydrogen from natural gas.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the Philadelphia area on Friday to announce $7 billion for hydrogen hubs across the nation, including two proposals in Pennsylvania.

One project includes an Appalachian hydrogen hub that proposes to use natural gas and carbon capture throughout Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio in partnership with Shell Plc, according to Bloomberg.

It’s unclear how much money the Appalachian hydrogen hub will receive. A Mid-Atlantic hydrogen hub that involves parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey will receive a $750 million grant, according to Reuters.

Between six to 10 applicants from states across the country are expected to be announced Friday. Nearly 80 applicants sent letters of interest to the Energy Department for the hub grants in 2022.

Pittsburgh-area officials have been lobbying for a hydrogen hub designation since last year, with many current and former elected officials pitching the area as an ideal location for blue hydrogen production, or hydrogen produced from natural gas. Those leaders were hopeful for about $1 billion in investment to capitalize on the region’s vast natural gas reserves.

Some other area environmentalists have cautioned against blue hydrogen, saying using natural gas to produce hydrogen won’t accomplish the goals of lowering emissions because of methane leakage. They wanted the region to back a green hydrogen hub, which would generate hydrogen from renewable energy.