Hydrogen Hub Projects Highlight All-of-the-Above Reality

Ahead of his appearance in Philadelphia, President Biden and his administration announced that seven regional clean hydrogen hubs have been selected to receive a portion of $7 billion funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The administration said, “the seven selected regional clean hydrogen hubs will catalyze more than $40 billion in private investment and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs.” Two of the hubs selected from more than 75 initial proposals, the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) and the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub (MACH2), will utilize Pennsylvania’s abundance of natural gas and energy infrastructure to develop the hubs. Pennsylvania is the only state to secure two of these projects.

Pennsylvania is well-positioned to be a national leader in energy and a powerhouse for the East Coast. The selection of these two hubs illustrates the state’s current importance to our nation’s energy sector, as well as its vast future potential. 

The ARCH2 hub will create more than 21,000 jobs—with 18,000 jobs in construction and more than 3,000 permanent jobs. The Appalachian Hydrogen Hub will take advantage of the region’s immense natural gas reserves, as well as its advanced infrastructure network, to produce “low-cost clean hydrogen.”  The thousands of good-paying, union jobs created by this project will facilitate the growth of state and local economies while strengthening the region—and nation’s—energy security. Utilizing natural gas is especially significant, as it signals some level of support from an administration that has been generally hostile to the fossil fuels industry. Similarly, the MACH2 hub anticipates creating 20,800 direct jobs, 14,400 in construction and 6,400 permanent jobs. 

Pennsylvania’s seven hydrogen hub projects represent a positive step towards an all-of-the-above energy strategy, as four of the seven projects will utilize ‘blue hydrogen’ or hydrogen extracted from natural gas, combined with carbon capture and storage of the emissions. Leveraging our nation’s plethora of natural gas with new cutting-edge technologies will help create good-paying jobs and secure our energy independence.