Draft guidelines for a Clean Hydrogen Production Standard (CHPS) were published by the US Department of Energy (DOE).
The regulations were drafted to accommodate Section 40315 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
Due to the fact that the CHPS is not a regulatory criteria, the DOE may not insist that any future projects receive funding if they fail to meet it. Hydrogen distribution centers receiving BIL funding, however, would be expected to “demonstrably aid attainment” of the CHPS by reducing emissions as much as feasible across the supply chain.
The merit review criteria that will be utilized to choose projects that will be approved under the CHPS will be detailed in upcoming funding opportunity announcements from the DOE.
By taking into consideration several obligations within the BIL clause and incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, this first proposal sets a target of 4.0 kgCO2e/kgH2 for lifecycle greenhouse emissions related with hydrogen production.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has stated that facilities meeting the BIL’s definition of “clean hydrogen,” which is 2 kgCO2e/kgH2 at the site of production (with possible extra emissions from upstream and/or downstream processes), are likely to reach this goal.
As mandated by law, DOE has drafted some guidelines for CHPS and is now soliciting feedback from interested parties.
