In 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy unveiled plans for a $7 billion investment in establishing seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs nationwide. These hubs will be designed to expedite the large-scale implementation of low-cost, clean hydrogen—a vital energy source that can be generated with minimal to zero carbon emissions.
This year, First State Hydrogen in Delaware was named a partner of the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2), meaning they will receive government funding to help launch their initiative. The plan is to build the framework for commercial hydrogen production, transportation and storage, creating an infrastructure that supports the replacement or reduction of fossil fuels.
Currently, First State Hydrogen (firststatehydrogen.com) has contracted with Siemens Energy to conduct an energy system design study and a feasibility study with KBR to identify the best technology and location for a hydrogen production facility. Andrew Cottone—chemist and co-founder of Adesis, a contract development and manufacturing organization—says Delaware is an ideal site for operations. “[Our central location] between Washington, D.C., and New York City puts us within 50 miles of all our customers,” he says. “Plus, we are the lowest-lying state in the nation, so we have significant access to water. It’s like the perfect situation for clean hydrogen.”
Ultimately, each of the hubs will become its own ecosystem, creating a network of clean hydrogen producers and consumers while supporting the production, storage, delivery and end use of the product.
The movement is reminiscent of former Gov. Pete du Pont’s Financial Center Development Act of 1981 in terms of economic impact. “When that brought a lot of banking and credit cards into the state, it created jobs…and secondary economies that came from that industry,” Cottone says. “This has the same opportunity to revolutionize the economy in our state.”
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