Photo: Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
The Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES) and the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2) have officially signed cooperative agreements with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to secure a first tranche of funding that accelerates the expansion of clean energy infrastructure. These agreements include up to $1.2 billion from the DOE and $11.4 billion in combined private and public matching funds to build clean hydrogen hubs across California, Oregon, Washington, and Montana.
About the California Hydrogen Hub (ARCHES)
The California Hydrogen Hub (H2Hub) led by ARCHES will leverage the state’s clean energy technology leadership to produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable sources and biomass. As the first official hydrogen hub to secure first-round funding of $30 million, the California H2Hub will become a blueprint for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, such as public transportation, heavy-duty trucking, and port operations.
At full build-out, the H2Hub will eliminate up to 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually — equivalent to the emissions from 445,000 gasoline-powered cars — and decrease health costs by almost $3 billion annually due to improved air quality. By expanding fuel cell vehicles and introducing hydrogen in heavy-duty transport, the hydrogen hub will not only improve air quality but also foster connectivity within a clean West Coast freight network linked to the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub.
Additionally, the California H2Hub will create 220,000 direct jobs — 130,000 in construction and 90,000 permanent positions — while partnering with local and minority-owned businesses to promote equitable economic benefits. Supported by strong state and federal policies, ARCHES will incorporate environmental justice requirements that ensure robust governance with representation from labor, tribal, and environmental stakeholders. For example, ARCHES will collaborate with the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians to use hydrogen as backup power for community well water pumps in order to ensure clean drinking water during power outages.
About the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub (PNWH2)
The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub has proposed several locations across Washington, Oregon, and Montana to utilize the region’s abundant renewable resources in order to produce green hydrogen exclusively through electrolysis. By increasing the use of electrolyzers, the H2Hub aims to lower production costs and enhance accessibility to green hydrogen. By promoting clean hydrogen in hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as heavy-duty transportation, agriculture, industry, and seaports, the H2Hub plans to eliminate approximately 1.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equivalent to the emissions from about 400,000 gasoline-powered cars.
The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub’s Community Benefits Plan governing board will include environmental groups, tribal representatives, and union members. The H2Hub has committed to Project Labor Agreements for over $1 million in projects, will invest in apprenticeship programs that prioritize hiring former coal industry workers, and allocate over $4 million to training at Centralia College. By leveraging local labor unions and workforce development initiatives, the H2Hub expects to create more than 10,000 direct jobs — 8,050 in construction and 350 permanent positions.
Congratulations to all partners, stakeholders, and community members of ARCHES and PNWH2 for their significant efforts in advancing the West Coast’s clean, renewable hydrogen economy!
