Clean-energy projects in seven states — including Minnesota — have been selected by the Biden administration for a $7 billion program to kickstart development and production of hydrogen fuel, a key component of President Joe Biden’s agenda to slow climate change.
His goal is to establish seven regional hydrogen hubs to help replace fossil fuels such as coal and oil with cleaner-burning hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity.
Biden is expected to make the official announcement during an economic-themed visit to Philadelphia on Friday.
The Minnesota-based Heartland Hydrogen Hub seeks to decarbonize fertilizer used in agriculture and advance use of clean hydrogen in electric generation and for cold climate space heating. It also plans to offer equity ownership to tribal communities and local farmers.
Xcel Energy said the Minnesota project is in line to receive up to $925 million in federal funding.
The Heartland Hydrogen Hub includes Xcel, Marathon Petroleum Corp. and TC Energy, working with the University of North Dakota’s Energy & Environmental Resource Center.
It aims “to produce and use low-carbon hydrogen at commercial scale in Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana. The hub aims to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking 220,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road,” Xcel said in a news release.
“This federal funding will inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the Upper Midwest economy, helping to deliver an affordable project for our customers,” Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy — Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, said in the news release. “It provides vital financial support for clean energy infrastructure that will deliver reliable, low-cost renewable energy to the communities we serve.”
Source: mprnews.org
Photo Credit: pexels-karolina-grabowska
Categories: North Dakota, Government & Policy