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BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, announced the Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $925 million to the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota for their Heartland H2 Hub in partnership with Marathon Petroleum, TC Energy, and Xcel Energy. This funding was awarded as part of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program, which was established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). North Dakota, through the EERC, led the application development with Minnesota, Montana, and Wisconsin.
“Through the leadership of the Energy and Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota, today’s announcement further solidifies North Dakota as a national leader in the energy and agricultural economy of the future,“ said Senator Cramer. “By joining with leading strategic partners such as Marathon Petroleum, TC Energy, and Xcel Energy, the Heartland Hydrogen Hub stands to play an integral role in diversifying the upper Midwest’s fertilizer supply and providing a reliable source of hydrogen for energy applications.”
This program includes up to $7 billion to establish six to 10 regional clean hydrogen hubs across the country. According to the DOE, clean hydrogen hubs will create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and local connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier which can deliver or store tremendous amounts of energy.
In March, Senator Cramer submitted a letter of support for EERC’s application on behalf of Heartland Hydrogen Hub (HH2H) LLC to secure funding from the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to establish the hub.
“North Dakota is a leader in developing and deploying innovative clean energy technologies which leverage fossil and renewable resources. The state continues to pursue long-term strategies incorporating traditional and emerging energy resources to meet the growing demand for low-carbon energy and products,” wrote Senator Cramer. “This effort will help to provide low-carbon H2 to support existing demand in liquid transportation fuel manufacturing, ammonia production, and bring about growth in emerging markets such as blending with natural gas, H2-powered gas turbines, fuel cell-powered vehicles, and stationary power plants.”