McDermott joins H2@Scale in Texas and beyond

McDermott International has joined a collaboration of public, private, and academic partners working on a United States Department of Energy (DOE) initiative called the Demonstration and Framework for H2@Scale in Texas and Beyond.

DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, which is part of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is funding the study. H2@Scale in Texas and Beyond aims to demonstrate that renewable hydrogen may be a cost-effective fuel for a variety of end-use applications, including fuel cell electric vehicles, when combined with big, baseload consumers that generate clean, reliable stationary power using hydrogen.

McDermott’s engagement strengthens the team’s skills in delivering integrated energy infrastructure and demonstrates McDermott’s commitment to hydrogen as a critical driver of low-carbon, cheap electricity. Texas’ significant resources—wind energy, solar energy, subsurface salt-dome storage formations, hydrogen pipelines, natural gas infrastructure, international port operations, and a massive, concentrated industrial infrastructure—will be used to demonstrate the H2@Scale initiative’s potential.

“McDermott recognizes that hydrogen has a very prominent role to play in the future of sustainable energy,” said Samik Mukherjee, McDermott’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “We are confident that the talent and expertise of our people, in collaboration with our partners, will accelerate momentum and unlock the meaningful progress necessary to turn aspiration into reality.”

The partnership is now concentrating its efforts on two distinct initiatives:

In the University of Texas at Austin, a world-first integration of commercial hydrogen production, delivery, storage, and usage will take place. The project partners will produce zero-carbon hydrogen on-site by electrolysis using solar and wind energy, as well as through reforming renewable natural gas from a Texas landfill. This is the first time that both renewable hydrogen sources will be combined in a single project. The hydrogen will power a stationary fuel cell that will offer clean, stable electricity to the Texas Advanced Computing Center and will also feed zero-emission hydrogen to a hydrogen station that will fuel a fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles. 

The project team will undertake a feasibility analysis for scaling up hydrogen production and consumption at the Port of Houston. The team will examine available resources, potential hydrogen customers, and delivery infrastructure, such as existing hydrogen pipes serving refineries. The study will look at policies, regulations, and economics in order to help industry establish a strategic action plan to present to policymakers in order to enable heavy-duty fuel cell transportation and energy systems. 

H2@Scale in Texas and Beyond brings together hydrogen industry professionals and committed newcomers to design, build, and run the world’s first dedicated renewable hydrogen network. It will demonstrate the safety and reliability of infrastructure in a real-world scenario.