Leading together: Building a new energy future in PA

Earlier this year, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Pennsylvania is charting a path toward the creation of a Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub. While “Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub” may not roll off the tongue, it is not an overstatement to call it a huge deal.

Granted, it’s far from a done deal. But the fact that the Commonwealth has placed its considerable weight, credibility, and influence behind this initiative is significant. The Wolf Administration has added its leadership and voice to a collaborative effort that already includes the business community, energy companies, organized labor, and environmental stakeholders, among others – all with the shared goal of bringing a hydrogen hub to Pennsylvania.

But why is this so significant? Simple. If we can bring a regional hydrogen hub to the Keystone state, we will place our Commonwealth at the forefront of the clean energy revolution – and help create and sustain good jobs for Pennsylvania workers. By producing clean hydrogen locally, Pennsylvania businesses and industries could gain an early competitive advantage in the emerging zero-carbon fuels market, making the Commonwealth a strong contender for new manufacturing. In the process, we will also help lead the nation in its efforts to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions with an eventual goal of creating a zero-carbon economy.

The concept has the backing of the federal government, with the U.S. Department of Energy committing some $8 billion in funding for the development of at least four of these hydrogen hubs across the country, made possible by the 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The Pennsylvania hub project could qualify for $2 billion in federal funds – helping to jumpstart the Commonwealth’s entry into the carbon capture and hydrogen production market.

This is what we mean when we talk about a new energy future in Pennsylvania. A regional hydrogen hub located in Pennsylvania and helps serve the energy needs of our neighboring states is exactly the kind of innovative solution that can power our economy and strengthen our communities.

And support for a Pennsylvania-based regional clean hydrogen hub continues to grow. In June 2022, Governor Wolf and members of our congressional delegation released a bipartisan statement of support for the initiative underscoring the economic and environmental benefits of enhancing Pennsylvania’s manufacturing and industrial sectors with innovative energy solutions such as hydrogen and carbon capture technologies.

Energy Future PA aims to build on this momentum and support around solution-focused, commonsense initiatives like the hydrogen hub initiative so we can keep Pennsylvania competitive not just today but for generations to come.

We believe in an energy future that places Pennsylvanians first. And that means a strategy that is not “one-size-fits-all” and instead includes a diverse portfolio of affordable and reliable technology solutions – from zero-carbon fuels, such as hydrogen, to carbon capture and storage, as well as investments in new, more efficient advanced nuclear energy technologies.

These innovations require more than just new technologies and new ways of thinking about energy. They require collaboration among a diverse group of key stakeholder groups – from business and industry to labor unions to local and state governments and environmental organizations. Only together can we ensure that Pennsylvania will lead our new energy future.

If we’re successful, this may be the kind of headline we will see not just here in Pennsylvania but across the nation and around the globe: “Pennsylvania Leads Nation as Keystone of the New Energy Economy.”