HAWAI‘I PACIFIC HYDROGEN HUB PROPOSAL ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT FULL APPLICATION
HONOLULU — The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has encouraged the Hawai‘i State Energy Office and its consortium of partners across government, community, industry, and academia to submit a Full Application for the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (H2Hub) program.
The consortium concept paper details the potential for an integrated Hawai‘i Pacific Hydrogen Hub that aligns multiple existing, in-development, and proposed new hydrogen production pathways to deploy hydrogen across all sectors of Hawai‘i’s energy ecosystem and economy over the next decade.
“Hawai‘i’ has long supported the development of clean hydrogen and we believe this proposal has significant economic and strategic value to Hawai‘i’ and the entire Indo-Pacific region,” said Chris Sadayasu, Director, Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. “Strengthening our energy security is fundamental to enhancing our food, transportation, housing, and national security. We are thrilled that the DOE has chosen this Hawai‘i-based proposal to advance to the next round of this very competitive process.”
The DOE has encouraged applications from 33 entities to establish 6-10 regional clean hydrogen hubs nationwide to create a network of hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of clean hydrogen across the economy. Winning proposals will receive as much as $1 billion to implement their strategies.
The initial consortium included 21 contributing organizations, most located in Hawai‘i. While some specific details of the proposal may remain confidential through the highly competitive application process, all consortium participants are committed to working together with communities to develop the components of the H2Hub. The Hub will incorporate proactive workforce development, labor engagement, diversity, equity, inclusion, an accessibility strategy and implementation plan and Community Benefits Plan.
The deadline for submitting the application is April 7, 2023.