Hydrogen Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

CSX Builds Zero-Emission Hydrogen Locomotive In Huntington

CSX No. 2100 was repowered from a kit developed in Canada by Canadian Pacific. It emits only water vapor and no carbon dioxide, depending on how the hydrogen was produced.

CSX unveiled a hydrogen-powered locomotive this week, rebuilt from a diesel locomotive at its Huntington Shop.

CSX No. 2100 was repowered from a kit developed in Canada by Canadian Pacific. It emits only water vapor and no carbon dioxide, depending on how the hydrogen was produced.

“The successful debut of our first hydrogen-powered locomotive stands as a testament to the exceptional skill and dedication of our employees at the CSX Huntington locomotive shop,” CEO Joe Hinrichs said in a statement.

Emissions from transportation are the largest single source of carbon dioxide emissions, and major railroads are looking for opportunities to repower diesel locomotives with alternative fuels.

In addition to hydrogen, some locomotives operate with liquefied natural gas or run on batteries.

Thanks to a federal grant, CSX will replace a small fleet of diesel locomotives with battery powered ones at the Curtis Bay coal export terminal in Baltimore.

Presentation: Pleasant Plant’s Hydrogen Conversion Still Involves Coal

Burning hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide. However, the source of that hydrogen at Pleasants will still be coal.

A state Senate committee heard new details Wednesday about how the Pleasants Power Station will be converted from coal to hydrogen.

Pleasants is a 1,300-megawatt power plant along the Ohio River north of Parkersburg. Its coal-fired boilers went cold in June when its then-owner, Energy Harbor, shut them down.

But state lawmakers, including Sen. Donna Boley, a Pleasants County Republican, fought to save the plant from closure.

Not long after the plant went idle, a California company called Omnis Technology stepped in.

Omnis reactivated the plant. The ultimate goal, though, is to produce graphite on the site and use the hydrogen byproduct to generate electricity.

Burning hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide. However, the source of that hydrogen at Pleasants will still be coal.

Steve Winberg, the former Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy in the Trump administration, explained to the Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Committee how the process would work.

“Their goal is to convert Pleasants from coal to 100 percent hydrogen, and then make the hydrogen from the coal. So, at a minimum, we’ll see the same amount of coal going to Pleasants, but it will be converted to hydrogen, and then the hydrogen will be burned in the boiler. So, there’s going to have to be a retrofit on that boiler to allow it to burn hydrogen and still maintain the 600 megawatts that it’s capable of maintaining or producing.”

Winberg explained to the committee that the technology is emerging. It requires heating the coal to 3,000 degrees Celsius. The bar the process has to clear is producing hydrogen that’s cheaper than natural gas.

“If this technology works, it will be cost competitive with natural gas. And so proof is in the pudding, we’ll see if they’re able to get it to work at 3,000 degrees. But if they do, it’s a pretty intriguing technology.”

Omnis is investing $800 million into the facility. If successful, it will need 600 workers to operate in addition to the 160 who run the current plant.

EPA Rule On Carbon Emissions Won’t Apply To Existing Gas Plants

The rule, expected in April, would still apply to existing coal and new gas plants. The agency will pursue a separate rule for existing gas plants after the November election.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has scaled back its proposal to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

The EPA said Thursday that existing gas-fired power plants would be exempt from its pending rule limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

The rule, expected in April, would still apply to existing coal and new gas plants. The agency will pursue a separate rule for existing gas plants after the November election.

“As EPA works towards final standards to cut climate pollution from existing coal and new gas-fired power plants later this spring, the agency is taking a new, comprehensive approach to cover the entire fleet of natural gas-fired turbines,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.

The change won’t have much effect in West Virginia. The state relies on coal for 89 percent of its electricity, and only 4 percent comes from gas.

Neighboring states – particularly Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia – receive more than 50 percent of their electricity from gas.

“This is a welcome step that will protect Ohio jobs and help keep electricity costs from rising for Ohio families,” said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “I encourage the administration to keep working with stakeholders – including labor and manufacturers – as they finalize this rule and work to build a clean energy future.”

Coal plants will still be required to capture 90 percent of their carbon emissions, transition to gas or hydrogen, or shut down.

U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-West Virginia, wants the EPA to scrap the rule entirely.

“This new guidance from the EPA is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to destroy the coal industry,” she said. “The EPA continues to create uncertainty with flawed rule making, resulting in unstable markets and higher energy costs for all Americans.”

West Virginia Part Of Nearly $1 Billion Regional Hydrogen Hub

President Joe Biden is set to announce the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub later Friday. The hub, also called ARCH2, will include Ohio and Pennsylvania.

West Virginia is among the states receiving funds from the U.S. Department of Energy to create a regional hydrogen hub.

President Joe Biden is set to announce the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub later Friday. The hub, also called ARCH2, will include Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The region will be eligible for as much as $925 million of the $7 billion in total going to seven regional hubs across the country.

The White House projects 18,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs resulting from the investment in the Appalachian hub.

Other hubs will be established in the mid-Atlantic, California, the Gulf Coast, the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest.

The Appalachian hub will lean on the region’s abundant supply of natural gas to make hydrogen. Of the other hubs, only the Gulf Coast will also use natural gas, called blue hydrogen.

Most of the others will use renewable energy, including wind, solar and hydro, known as green hydrogen.

The Great Lakes hub will use nuclear power, known as pink hydrogen.

Appalachia’s hub will store the carbon dioxide generated from the production process.

The seven hubs are expected to generate three million metric tons of hydrogen annually, which will be used to decarbonize industrial sectors that produce 30 percent of U.S. carbon emissions.

The initiative is projected to cut 25 million metric tons of CO2 each year, part of the Biden administration’s larger goal of cutting emissions to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement.

“With this historic investment,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in a statement, “the Biden-Harris administration is laying the foundation for a new, American-led industry that will propel the global clean energy transition while creating high quality jobs and delivering healthier communities in every pocket of the nation.”

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito noted that funding for the hydrogen hubs came from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Capito participated in the negotiation of that legislation and was key to its Senate passage.

“I consistently supported efforts to help make this project a reality,” she said in a statement. “I’m thrilled for the ARCH2 Team, and am so proud West Virginia will continue its tradition as an innovative, energy-producing state through a regional hydrogen hub.”

Small Business Workforce Challenges On This West Virginia Morning

As we wind down our series “Help Wanted, Understanding West Virginia’s Labor Force,” Randy Yohe talks to small business owner Brent Sears, who has a rebuttal after hearing our story about the job-seeking services the state’s prime workforce agency provides.

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginia’s economic development, workforce and education leaders are focused on getting skilled laborers for the technological and industrial jobs pouring into the state. But what about the many small businesses that need workers for simpler, hands-on jobs?

Also, in this show, the Biden administration is reviewing applications for billions in federal funding for hydrogen projects around the county, including a pair in Western Pennsylvania. Environmental and community groups worry these supposedly ‘clean energy’ projects come with risks, but say plans are being kept from the public. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier reports.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning