Oregon-based Northwest Natural has withdrawn an application to construct a hydrogen pilot project, citing pushback from the west Eugene community where the project would have been sited.
The state’s largest natural gas provider said in a filing with Oregon’s Public Utilities Commission that it had considered suspending the approval schedule, but decided to withdraw the application in order to incorporate community input into the project.
“NW Natural is seeking to convey that it is willing to engage in stakeholder outreach without a predefined time limit that would have been included as part of a motion to suspend the procedural schedule, and that it is willing to consider changes to the project in light of such outreach,” the company said in the filing.
The company could still file an application for the same project or a revised version of the project in the future, according to the filing.
Six groups intervened to oppose the approval process, including the NAACP of Eugene-Springfield, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Sierra Club.
The partners in the proposed facility include the Eugene Water & Electric Board and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
The facility proposed to demonstrate how renewable and low-carbon electricity can be transformed into green hydrogen through power-to-gas and used to decarbonize the region’s space heating and transportation sectors.
Plans included the potential for a facility in Eugene that could range in size from 2 MW up to 10 MW.
