Port of Corpus Christi encouraged by DOE to submit full application for Hydrogen Hub proposal
The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstration has encouraged the Port of Corpus Christi Authority to submit a full application for its Horizons Clean Hydrogen Hub (HCH2) through the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program, according to the company's release.
The Port of Corpus Christi, as a landlord port authority and the owner of the most improved, most efficient ship channel on the U.S. Gulf Coast, is the prime applicant for the HCH2 and is the common denominator to each of the roughly two dozen discrete clean hydrogen production projects in the proposed Hub. The HCH2 Concept Paper, submitted to the DOE on November 7, names around 30 private sector team members as owners, developers and/or operators, offtakers, and end users of various hydrogen value chain projects and supporting infrastructure, including but not limited to:
Ambient Fuels
AMMPower
Apex Clean Energy
Ares Management Infrastructure Opportunities funds
Avangrid
Avina Clean Hydrogen
Big Hill
Buckeye Partners
Epic Midstream
Green H2 Energy Partners
Green H2 International
Howard Midstream Energy Partners
Hydrogen Optimized
Magellan Midstream Partners
Mitsubishi Corporation
Monarch Energy
Motus Energy
Pattern Energy
Plug Power
Repsol Hydrogen
Sempra Infrastructure
Trafigura
Teal Chemistry and Energy
Hydrogen, which can be produced using either renewable electricity or natural gas feedstocks, has long been recognized as a flexible energy carrier with a wide range of applications. Existing operations around the Port of Corpus Christi already use hydrogen as part of the refining process, and a number of other industries may transition to hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas to power their operations. HCH2 projects will use — and add to — the 110 miles of existing hydrogen pipelines to move hydrogen through the region. When it is to be exported from the Hub by rail or ship, hydrogen likely will be reacted into ammonia, which is a larger, more stable molecule that can either be used directly as an energy source or processed to yield free hydrogen.
HCH2 will connect large-scale clean hydrogen production in the West South-Central U.S. with in-region, extra-regional, and international end users by way of common carrier, connective infrastructure that will de-risk and accelerate multiple projects. HCH2 includes three waves of deployment — all under development now with staggered maturation — to supply existing and developing demand. The project developers in the HCH2 are a combination of cornerstones of the energy marketplace, including longstanding Port customers as well as well-capitalized start-ups vetted by the Port.
Port Corpus Christi is the largest port in the United States in total revenue tonnage. Strategically located on the western Gulf of Mexico with a 36-mile, soon to be 54-foot (MLLW) deep channel, Port Corpus Christi is a major gateway to international and domestic maritime commerce. The Port has excellent railroad and highway network connectivity via three North American Class-1 railroads and two major interstate highways.
