(Washington) Joe Biden will present on Friday the seven regions of the United States which will become “hydrogen hubs” and will benefit from vast investments, a desire for the Democratic president to stimulate the economy thanks to green energy before the elections of 2024.
West Virginia, Texas, California, or even a hub including Minnesota and North and South Dakota: seven regions have been chosen, some of which will have a key role in the presidential election.
Joe Biden will deliver a speech Friday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The seven winners, announced Friday morning in a press release, were in the running to win their share of $7 billion in funding, provided for by the major infrastructure law passed in 2021.
The goal is for these hubs to produce nearly three million tons of clean hydrogen per year, or a third of the United States’ production target for 2030, the White House said.
The Democratic president has made green energy a key part of his economic plan, dubbed “Bidenomics,” aimed at reviving American industry and creating jobs.
“Unlocking the full potential of hydrogen…is crucial to achieving President Biden’s goal of an American industry powered by American clean energy,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, quoted in the press release.
The investment will finance large-scale hydrogen production, pipelines to transport it, and help industries and businesses adapt to the use of this fuel.
Two of the states affected by these hydrogen hubs — Pennsylvania in the Northeast and Michigan in the North Central — were swing states for the 2020 presidential election, when Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump, and the will probably be again next year.
But some winners might not be as green as they announce, warns an NGO, the “Union of Concerned Scientists”.
Some of these projects are “based on the production of hydrogen from fossil fuels and on risky uses,” explains Julie McNamara, head of climate and energy at this NGO, in a press release.
“Billions of taxpayer dollars risk perpetuating the injustices and harms of the fossil fuel industry while subsidizing the greenwashing” of this sector, she warns. It calls on the Energy Department and the Biden administration to “define rigorous criteria for implementation, evaluation, and engagement.”
Hydrogen is a renewable and storable energy vector. Joe Biden has pledged to increase production capacity for low- and zero-carbon sources, known as “blue” and “green” hydrogen.
Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas in which carbon dioxide from the manufacturing process is captured. Green hydrogen is produced from renewable sources.
US hydrogen production already amounts to around 10 million tonnes per year, or roughly 10% of global volumes, but most of this is so-called “gray” hydrogen, produced from gas natural without capturing CO2 emissions, therefore polluting.