U.S. Department of Energy officials are encouraging an Indiana coalition to proceed with its effort to secure a portion of $7 billion in federal funding to establish a hydrogen hub.
The Indiana coalition is one of 33 groups around the United States that the DOE has encouraged to move forward in its Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, or H2Hubs, program. The program aims to award $7 billion to fund six to 10 hydrogen hub projects focused on the production, processing, delivery, storage and end use of clean hydrogen, with the goal of boosting the nation’s hydrogen economy.
The DOE selected the 33 from a total of 79 applicants who submitted initial proposals last fall. The DOE has not publicly identified any of the applicants. Full applications are due April 7, and the DOE expects to make its funding decisions by fall. H2Hubs funding comes from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed in late 2021.
The Indiana coalition is evaluating its next step in the process before filing its next application. Paul Mitchell, CEO of the nonprofit Energy Systems Network, said Indiana’s coalition is in discussions with two other green-lit H2Hub applicants in the Midwest about possibly joining forces to submit a combined application.