In an effort to hasten the transition to clean energy in the North American Pacific Northwest, Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and Puget Sound Energy propose to turn an abandoned coal mine in the US into a green hydrogen production facility.
The former Centralia coal mine in Washington State, which was shut down in 2006, might be converted into a green hydrogen operation, according to a statement made by FFI earlier this year. This would help decarbonize industries that are challenging to decarbonize.
According to FFI, the proposed plant would use current fossil fuel infrastructure to produce green hydrogen.
According to FFI North American CEO Andy Vesey, North America is one of the best countries in the world to invest in green energy because of the US Inflation Reduction Act and Canada’s 2022 Fall Economic Statement.
In a statement, Vesey stated that “this is a significant step forward to allow utilities like PSE to decarbonize their operations.” In North America, there is a considerable need for green hydrogen, and FFI is working to supply that demand.
To build a framework for green hydrogen supply agreements and seek other cooperative prospects, FFI and Puget Sound Energy, one of the largest utilities in the Pacific Northwest, have signed a memorandum of understanding.
FFI and a project with a 9.2 gigawatt (GW) installed capacity were in a similar arrangement in September to study the development of green hydrogen generation in the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Prior to this, in March, FFI and German energy company E.ON reached a potential $50 billion green hydrogen agreement to create up to five million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030.
According to Josh Jacobs, vice president of clean energy strategy at Puget Sound Energy, “we envision lower carbon fuels like hydrogen playing a critical role in decarbonizing the electric system as well as the piped energy system.”
He added that intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar will need to be supplemented by carbon-free, adaptable supplies like hydrogen.
