Green Hydrogen International (GHI) has unveiled its plans to build a 60 GW green hydrogen production facility near the Piedras Pintas salt dome in Texas. The facility will be the largest of its kind in the world, the company claimed in a press release.
While the world seeks cleaner alternatives to the energy that can power long-haul flights and stand in as a substitute for natural gas, green hydrogen appears to be one of the front runners. With countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Spain having initiated green hydrogen projects on a pilot basis, GHI would have to make a big splash to announce its arrival. The company is hopeful that its proposed plant, capable of producing 2.5 billion kilograms of green hydrogen every year, will do exactly that.
According to its website, GHI has seven projects that are under development with a combined output of one terawatt. The largest and the first one to get off the ground is Hydrogen City in Texas. Using onshore wind and solar energy, the project aims to produce 60 gigawatts of green hydrogen every year.
The Piedras Pintas salt dome in Duval County will serve as the hydrogen storage facility for the project which in its initial stages will see a 2-gigawatt production facility being drawn up. Green hydrogen production is expected to begin by 2026 and it will tap into renewable energy from the Texan electricity grid.
Green hydrogen produced at the facility will be piped to the coastal city of Corpus Christi and Brownsville, where industries will convert them to other products.
Fueling farms, planes, and rockets
GHI is currently in the process of negotiations with its customers on how they intend to use their green hydrogen.
Hydrogen gas can be converted into ammonia to be used as a fuel mix, and with that in mind, the company is exploring options to ship its green hydrogen to Japan, where the Asian major is looking for a greener source of ammonia to be added to its fuel.
Green hydrogen has been the preferred choice for aviation as it looks for a more sustainable fuel that is capable of carrying out long-haul flights and also working out for flights in congested airspace.
Taking a step further, green hydrogen can also be combined with carbon dioxide to make a more eco-friendly methane fuel that could power rockets to outer space. Based in Texas and relatively close to SpaceX’s new home in Boca Chica, GHI is keen to rope in the space company as its customer, according to Recharge News. However, it hasn’t been confirmed by SpaceX or GHI yet.
Green hydrogen is also an ideal replacement for natural gas in gas-powered power plants as well as the input ingredient for making fertilizers for farmers, who face high price volatility.
“Hydrogen City is a massive, world-class undertaking that will put Texas on the map as a leading green hydrogen producer,” GHI’s founder and CEO Brian Maxwell said. “Texas has been the world leader in energy innovation for over 100 years and this project is intended to cement that leadership for the next century and beyond.”