Bakken Energy, a North Dakota based hydrogen producer, has signed an MOU with BNSF Railway to design the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, specifically the role of railways as consumers and transporters of clean hydrogen, according to a press release.
BNSF Railway, one of seven North American Class 1 Railroads, manages a rail network of 32,500 route miles in 28 states and three Canadian provinces. In collaboration with the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Montana, the companies are working on the design of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub: A regional clean hydrogen hub competing to obtain federal funding through the Department of Energy’s $7bn Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program.
The funding is part of the larger $8bn hydrogen hub program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The foundation of the industry-led Hub is Bakken Energy’s large scale affordable clean hydrogen production using natural gas that would otherwise be flared, including carbon capture and sequestration.