An Unlikely Catalyst Growing the Energy Economy
KYLE MCCOLGAN
Few could have predicted that a war thousands of miles away would set in motion one of the largest federal investments in the Appalachian region’ s history. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the global energy landscape was thrown into turmoil. Supply chains buckled, fuel prices soared and the world saw firsthand the dangers of relying on adversaries for critical energy resources. That crisis sent a clear message: American energy security could no longer be taken for granted.
Senator Joe Manchin saw the writing on the wall and recognized the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as an opportunity to help develop hydrogen as a new domestic energy source. His advocacy resulted in $ 8 billion being allocated to create regional clusters of businesses to integrate the production, consumption and usage of hydrogen into their operations. Following the passage of the law, the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition was formed to direct a portion of that money to the state. This concerted effort culminated in the Department of Energy’ s( DOE) October 2023 selection of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub( ARCH2) to receive up to $ 925 million in federal cost share support, delivering a victory for West Virginia, the Appalachian region and American energy security. details, budget, scope and a clear path forward for the proposed hub. A major milestone was achieved on July 31, 2024, when a cooperative agreement between ARCH2 and the DOE was finalized and ARCH2 was officially awarded funding to begin preliminary planning, site evaluations and stakeholder engagement as well as environmental, financial and technological feasibility assessments.
On August 21, 2024, ARCH2 celebrated another major achievement with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for its program office, located at the WVU Innovation Corporation in Morgantown, WV. The event was a testament to the project’ s broad support, with notable attendees such as Battelle CEO Lou Von Thaer, West Virginia University President Gordon Gee and U. S. Senators Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito. Their presence underscored the project’ s economic and energy significance for the state.
Photo by ARCH2.
ARCH2’ s Journey
Following the October 2023 announcement, the ARCH2 team— led by Battelle, GTI Energy, TRC Companies and West Virginia-based Allegheny Science and Technology— entered into negotiations with the DOE to determine the
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