The Obsidian Pacific Northwest H₂ Hub submitted its final application to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for federal H₂ hub funding. The plan supports the development of a H₂ network in the Northwest powered entirely by renewable electricity.

DOE is administering $8 B from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill designed to scale up the production of low-carbon (clean) H₂ by funding what they call H₂ hubs—infrastructure to produce, store and distribute clean H₂. DOE expects H₂ hubs to “form the foundation of a national clean H₂ network that will contribute substantially to decarbonizing multiple sectors of the economy.” The Obsidian Pacific NW H₂ Hub will leverage private funding with $700 MM from the DOE for its multi-billion-dollar project.

“We are proud to be one of only 33 projects across the country to be encouraged by DOE to apply for funding,” said David Brown, senior principal and co-founder of Obsidian Renewables. “Because of our partnerships with labor, business and the community, we believe we are strongly positioned to help bring clean, renewable H₂ to the Pacific Northwest.”

The complete plan envisions H₂ production, storage and distribution. H₂ is a versatile industrial feedstock and fuel that the H₂ hub will supply to various industries such as agriculture, advanced energy manufacturing, data centers, hospitals, ports, power plants and domestic fertilizer producers.

"Our plan is unique. We will connect purpose-built wind and solar to electrolyzers, allowing the region to develop renewable energy that isn’t otherwise accessible, turning it into flexible, reliable generation,” said Ken Dragoon, Obsidian Renewables’ director of H₂ development. “The Hub’s primary objective is to provide the lowest-cost green H₂ to its customers. Achieving this requires the availability of low-cost, low-carbon feedstocks, affordable storage and production near customers. Our plan will do just that.”

Anchor sites in Moses Lake, Washington and Hermiston, Oregon will use power from new renewable wind and solar power plants to split water in a process called electrolysis. These renewable energy sources will power hundreds of megawatts of electrolyzers capable of producing 360 metric tpd of H₂. The project is committed to using local and union labor.