SoCalGas intends to build the nation’s largest green hydrogen energy infrastructure system (the “Angeles Link”) to provide the Los Angeles region with clean, reliable renewable energy.
The Angeles Link, as proposed, would encourage the use of more renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electric generation, industrial processes, heavy-duty trucks, and other hard-to-electrify sectors of the Southern California economy. The proposed Angeles Link would also help California and the region meet their climate and clean air goals by reducing demand for natural gas, diesel, and other fossil fuels in the LA Basin.
“The challenges we face on climate require solutions of scale and urgency,” said Scott Drury, chief executive officer of SoCalGas. “The Angeles Link is designed to meet those challenges head-on. Today in Southern California we’re announcing plans for one of the world’s largest clean energy infrastructure systems, to help tackle emissions for which there are no easy answers. Those emissions – from power plants, industry, and heavy-duty trucks – very much ‘count’ and must be significantly reduced to reach our and the State’s climate goals.”
The Angeles Link, as planned, would deliver green hydrogen in an amount equivalent to nearly 25% of the natural gas delivered by SoCalGas today. Building the system to provide a clean alternative fuel could reduce natural gas demand served by the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility over time, allowing it to retire while still providing reliable and affordable energy to the region.
Green hydrogen – critical to achieving net-zero emissions by 2045
Green hydrogen from renewable sources has the potential to reduce emissions significantly in industries and sectors where renewable electricity alone cannot. Clean fuels like green hydrogen are needed to achieve Los Angeles’ LA100 net zero goals and California’s mid-century climate goals, according to research conducted by Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc. (“E3”) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL LA100).
Green hydrogen is becoming more affordable thanks to global investments. HyDeal Los Angeles, a non-profit initiative supported by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), SoCalGas, Mitsubishi Power, and others in the LA Basin, aims to make green hydrogen cost-competitive with traditional fuels – and achieve at-scale green hydrogen procurement at $1.50/kilogram in the LA Basin by 2030.
The proposed Angeles Link is critical to the region’s success, and it builds on SoCalGas’ position as a hydrogen industry leader. The company began the first power-to-gas hydrogen demonstration project in the United States in 2015. SoCalGas’ H2 Hydrogen Home microgrid demonstration was named one of Fast Company magazine’s World-Changing Ideas in North America in 2021. SoCalGas is currently testing moving hydrogen through existing natural gas infrastructure and has ten hydrogen pilot projects in the works.
SoCalGas has filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to track costs associated with the development of the Angeles Link in order to satisfy the public’s desire for transparency and accountability. The firm suggests a phased approach, with a robust stakeholder process at each stage. The application, which is available here, describes each phase, including Phase 3’s development of a detailed project application. The proposed Angeles Link is currently in the preliminary stages of development, and subsequent stages will require additional regulatory review and discretionary approvals, among other things.
