On March 10, 2022, a regional hub for clean hydrogen development, production, and use for fuel and manufacturing feedstock was announced by Governors Asa Hutchinson (Arkansas), John Bel Edwards (Louisiana), and Kevin Stitt (Oklahoma). This partnership will allow the three states to compete for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act hydrogen funding together and includes provisions for:
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Promoting investment in infrastructure for production and transportation of low-carbon hydrogen;
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Prioritizing direct capture of carbon for all phases of hydrogen development;
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Working with industry, transportation networks and ports to connect major facilities with high carbon footprints to hydrogen infrastructure for fuel blending and reduction of CO2 emissions; and
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Working to support hydrogen production to support all phases of industry that can use hydrogen as a fuel source.
Arkansas Secretary of Energy & Environment Becky W. Keogh; Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Secretary Thomas Harris; and Oklahoma Secretary of Energy & Environment Kenneth Wagner will serve as the designees for the partnership in each state. Hydrogen has already been a priority as the three states seek to diversify their energy supply and build on existing projects. In addition, an electrolytic production hub was announced in 2021 in Oklahoma along with a hydrogen from natural gas project paired with carbon capture and storage facility in Louisiana.
Read more in the press release here.