FCHEA Announces Olin as Newest Supporting Member! | |
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Olin is a global leader in chlor alkali products, epoxy materials, and small-caliber ammunition.
Click here for more information about Olin.
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Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Industry Headlines | |
GM to Support California Wildfire Relief Efforts with Hydrogen Mobile Charging Units | |
On January 22, FCHEA member General Motors (GM) announced it is taking steps to help employees, customers, and others recover from the Los Angeles wildfires. Among other steps, GM will provide mobile charging stations in targeted areas for people who no longer have access to their regular charging locations. From February 1 through April, GM will deploy three different mobile EV charging solutions across the L.A. metro region, including three GM HYDROTEC fuel cell mobile charging units, each capable of DC fast charging two EVs at once.
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A GM HYDROTEC hydrogen-powered mobile charger, plugged into a Cadillac LYRIQ. (Source: GM)
Click here for the full press release from GM.
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Plug Closes $1.66 Billion Loan Guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy | |
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On January 16, FCHEA member Plug announced it has closed a $1.66 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO). The loan guarantee will help finance the construction of up to six projects to produce and liquify zero- or low-carbon hydrogen at scale throughout the United States.
Click here for the full press release from Plug.
Click here for the full press release from DOE.
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Cummins Launches Industry-First Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Turbochargers for On-Highway Applications | |
On January 15, FCHEA member Cummins announced the launch of its new turbocharger designed specifically for hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2 ICE). Cummins Components and Software (CCS), part of Cummins' Components business segment, has secured a contract to supply H2 ICE turbochargers to a major European OEM.
Click here for the full press release from Cummins.
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FuelCell Energy Announces Contract to Support Hartford Area Grid | |
On January 22, FCHEA member FuelCell Energy announced plans to build a 7.4 MW fuel cell power plant in Hartford, Connecticut. The project will deliver Class 1 renewable baseload power to the local grid in support of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. The power produced by the fuel cell plant will be sold to the local distribution utilities, Eversource and United Illuminating, under a 20-year power purchase agreement. As a PPA, the project is expected to add more than $160 million of future revenue to FuelCell Energy’s generation backlog, a queue of new power generation projects.
Click here for the full press release from FuelCell Energy.
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Plug Power Boosts Liquidity with $30 Million Federal Investment Tax Credit Transfer | |
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On January 27, Plug announced it has boosted its liquidity by approximately $30 million through the transfer of the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) under rules established in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022.
Under the IRA, facilities that produce, liquify, and store green hydrogen can claim the Section 45V Production Tax Credit (PTC) for green hydrogen produced as well as the ITC on the hydrogen storage and liquefaction assets at the facility. Plug secured the ITC through its investment in liquefaction and storage technologies at its green hydrogen plant in Woodbine, Georgia, which began production in early 2024. This development builds on Plug’s announcement in June 2024 of utilizing the PTC at its Woodbine, Georgia facility.
Click here for the full press release from Plug.
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Ionomr Innovations Opens Boston Development and Manufacturing Center | |
On January 7, FCHEA member Ionomr Innovations announced the opening of its state-of-the-art development and low volume manufacturing facility located at Hood Park in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The Hood Park Center features a manufacturing capacity to produce 750,000 m2 of membrane product per year, for up to 10 gigawatts of annual production.
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Source: Ionomr
Click here for the full press release from Ionomr Innovations.
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Nel Receives Purchase Order for 5 MW of Containerized PEM Electrolyzers | |
On January 21, Nel Hydrogen US, a subsidiary of FCHEA member Nel ASA, announced it has received a purchase order for two containerized PEM electrolyzer units totaling roughly $7 million. The two MC500 electrolyzers, 2.5 MW each, will be used to produce hydrogen for a new steel mill in the United States. The customer is undisclosed, but NEL reports the company is one of the largest U.S. steel producers and already uses Nel’s PEM electrolyzers to generate hydrogen at two other sites in the U.S.
Click here for the full press release from PR Newswire.
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U.S. Department of Treasury Releases Final Hydrogen Production Tax Credit Guidance | |
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On January 3, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final rules for the section 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit. Several areas have made significant improvements compared to the final rulemaking that are aligned with requests advocated for by FCHEA, including:
- Delayed implementation of hourly matched accounting for electrolytic hydrogen until 2030
- Support for a pathway for purchase of interregional EACs
- Allowance for alternatives to meet incrementality requirements
- Recognition of need for project-specific data for upstream methane leak rates to account for investments in responsibly sourced gas / differentiated gas
- Support for more sources of renewable natural gas (RNG), including animal waste, wastewater treatment facilities, and coal mine methane.
- Removal of the onerous First Productive Use requirement for RNG
- Ability to lock in the GREET Model available at the year a clean hydrogen facility begins construction
- Ability to take an hour-by-hour accounting versus the annual average accounting
The final rules are still extremely complex and will require intense evaluation by project developers to understand all the nuances and how they will apply to their specific facilities.
FCHEA looks forward to conversations with the new Congress and new Administration regarding how federal tax and energy policy can most effectively advance the development of hydrogen in the US.
Click here for the full press release from the Department of Treasury.
Click here to view the final rules on the Federal Register.
Click here for the full press release from FCHEA.
Click here for a summary of final 45V guidance developed by FCHEA.
| U.S. Department of Energy Announces Funding Awards to Heartland and Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hubs | |
On January 17, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office (DOE) of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) announced awards for two hydrogen hubs.
OCED awarded the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, led by the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), with $20 million to begin Phase 1 activities. The Hub plans to leverage new and existing energy resources and infrastructure to produce commercial-scale quantities of clean hydrogen that would be used for American-made, low-carbon nitrogen fertilizer.
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(Source: U.S. Department of Energy)
OCED also awarded the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub, led by Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub, Inc. (MACH2), with $18.8 million to begin Phase 1 activities. The Hub plans to develop hydrogen production facilities to be used in industrial application such as power generation and replacement fuel for process heaters—and heavy-duty transportation, with several refueling stations planned to serve sanitation trash trucks, street sweepers, cargo handling equipment, and fuel cell electric buses.
Click here for the full press release from DOE.
Click here to learn more about the Heartland Hydrogen Hub.
Click here to learn more about the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Hub.
| U.S Department of Energy Releases Updated Report on Pathways to Commercial Liftoff for Clean Hydrogen | |
On January 15, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released its latest Pathways to Commercial Liftoff report, an update to the Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Clean Hydrogen report, which was first released in March 2023 at the of the Liftoff effort. The updated report addresses four major updates since the original report that will impact the timing of Liftoff, including:
- The U.S. is on track to reach 7-9 MMTpa in operational production capacity by 2030.
- Developers face higher production cost estimates due to higher electricity prices, installation costs, and cost of capital. Tax credits like 45V or 45Q can help offset some or all of these increases.
- Industrial sectors continue to pull near-term demand, although an increasing number of projects will service export markets. Starting in 2030, new end-use applications will emerge.
- Promising clean hydrogen production technologies continue to develop, like methane pyrolysis and drilling for geologic hydrogen.
Click here for the full press release from DOE.
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Toyota Motor Europe Partners with Hydrogen Refueling Solutions and ENGIE on Hydrogen Refueling Systems | |
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On January 28, FCHEA member Toyota Motor Europe announced it has signed an agreement with Hydrogen Refueling Solutions (HRS) and FCHEA member ENGIE with the aim of developing next-generation hydrogen refueling systems.
The new solution, called Twin Mid Flow Technology, incorporates a higher-flow dual nozzle, allowing one hydrogen dispenser to quicky refuel both heavy-duty and light-duty vehicles, eliminate the need for two different types of dispensers at each refueling station.
Click here for the full press release from Toyota.
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Heraeus Precious Metals and Mattiq Partner to Advance Electrocatalyst Innovation | |
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On January 30, FCHEA member Heraues Precious Metals and Mattiq announced a strategic partnership to develop and commercialize advanced electrocatalyst materials for green hydrogen production. The companies will engineer low-iridium catalysts to significantly reduce the amount of this rare and critical raw material for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer manufacturing before expanding into other innovative electrochemical solutions.
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(Source: Heraeus Precious Metals)
Click here for the full press release from Heraeus Precious Metals.
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Plug Announced Purchase Agreement with Allied Green Ammonia | |
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On January 15, Plug announced a purchase agreement with Allied Green Ammonia (AGA) for three gigawatts (GW) of electrolyzer capacity to AGA's green hydrogen-to-ammonia plant, currently under development in Australia.
AGA will install a 4.5 GW solar plant to power the Plug electrolyzers, which will produce green hydrogen that will be used to make green ammonia.
Click here for the full press release from Plug.
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Neuman & Esser Opens Low-Carbon Hydrogen Generator Plant in Brazil | |
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On November 27, FCHEA member Neuman & Esser opened its low-carbon hydrogen generator plant located in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The event was attended by company executives, including the CEO in Brazil, managing partners of the Neuman & Esser group, and authorities such as the governor of Minas Geraiss and the German ambassador to Brazil.
The new plant, four times larger than the current one, will occupy an area of 3,500 m² and will have the capacity to produce up to 70 MW/year of containerized hydrogen generators. The expectation is to increase the production of electrolyzers by up to seven times compared to current levels, in addition to expanding the packaging capacity of industrial gas compressors, such as H2 and CO2.
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Source: Neuman and Esser
Click here to read the full press release from Neuman and Esser.
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Nel Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power | |
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On January 28, Nel announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to collaborate on clean hydrogen production technology.
This partnership combines Nel's expertise in alkaline electrolysis with KHNP's experience in nuclear power. KHNP is South Korea's largest power generation company, specializing in nuclear and hydroelectric energy to support the country's electricity needs and carbon neutrality goals.
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(Source: Nel)
Click here for the full press release from Hydrogen Wire.
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About the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Connection
Administration
Press releases and story ideas may be forwarded to Connor Dolan and Karen Quackenbush for consideration at cdolan@fchea.org and khall@fchea.org respectively.
If your company is interested in joining FCHEA, please visit fchea.org or contact Connor Dolan at cdolan@fchea.org.
The Sponsor
The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) is the leading industry association in the United States representing more than ninety leading organizations advancing production, distribution, and use of innovative, clean, safe, and reliable hydrogen energy. Based in Washington, DC, FCHEA’s mission is to facilitate the adoption of and expand the markets for innovative, clean, safe, and reliable uses of hydrogen and fuel cells. FCHEA members represent the full global hydrogen and fuel cell supply chain across a range of applications and pathways from transportation, power generation, industrial use, and more.
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