The Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) and the Indiana-led Midwest Hydrogen Corridor Consortium (MHCC) announced today that they have joined together as a single regional coalition to apply for U.S. Department of EnergyH2Hubs funding for development of a Midwest hydrogen hub.
This partnership aims to officially bring together the original MHCC entities, including bp, Applied Research Institute (ARI), BorgWarner, Cummins Inc., Energy Systems Network, NiSource, and Rolls-Royce, into the growing MachH2 coalition.
Members of the alliance are combining their resources and expertise with a goal to:
• Leverage existing clean energy resources and transportation infrastructure to establish hydrogen production and distribution.
• Lead community engagement efforts, create jobs and contribute to the administration’s Justice 40 objectives.
• Advance hydrogen technology and infrastructure in collaboration with national labs, universities, and research and technology institutions.
• Foster and create workforce development programs to support clean energy jobs.
The expanded coalition aims to obtain federal funding to advance projects that would enable production and use of clean hydrogen in the Midwest, helping support decarbonization, manufacturing, and community economic benefits in the region.
“bp continues to strengthen its ties to Indiana, and we are excited about the expandedMidwest consortium’s potential to compete for Department of Energy funding as we workto accelerate the energy transition,” said Tomeka McLeod, VP of Hydrogen & CCS at bp.“This broader coalition brings exceptional capabilities to support the Midwest economyand the net zero ambitions of bp and the US government.”
“Indiana continues to lead implementation of future energy technologies in new and innovative ways,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers. “This collaboration with regional partners strengthens the Midwest’s competitiveness through future-focused energy generation advances that will put us at the center of the global economy. Indiana’s adoption of economically viable new energy innovations will ensureHoosiers are powering progress and prosperity for decades to come.”
By joining together, the two hubs can combine the strengths of their proposals, which have both received encouragement from the Department of Energy to move to the formal application process. The diversity of clean hydrogen production technologies of the two groups and the expanded footprint of their proposed hub make this partnership a win-win.
The Indiana-led MHCC has strong backing from the Indiana state government, andMachH2 has the support of the Michigan and Illinois state governments. The pairing of these coalitions will help create a mobility-corridor linkage across Illinois, Indiana, andMichigan, which will help drive efficiency and create an opportunity to scale to neighboring states.
Clean hydrogen hub applications are due to the Department of Energy by April 7, 2023
