§16161b National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap

Summary

The Secretary of Energy, working with other Department officials, must create a national strategy and roadmap to make large-scale production, processing, delivery, storage, and use of clean hydrogen technically possible and economically sensible. The plan must set a clean hydrogen production standard required by law and interim goals. It must cover making hydrogen from natural gas, coal, renewable energy, nuclear, and biomass, and point out barriers, pathways, and federal policy needs to move to a clean hydrogen economy. The plan must list economic chances and environmental risks in major shale gas regions and for merchant nuclear plants, and suggest ways to reduce those risks. It must also show region-based approaches, and identify how existing energy and gas infrastructure (like natural gas and CO2 pipelines, power plants, LNG terminals, industrial and home users) can be used or needs to change. The roadmap must describe needs and paths for regional clean hydrogen hubs (including where paired with carbon capture), how hubs can use natural gas, show efficient production and delivery, and include transport corridors (pipelines, rail, ports). It must promote tools to model integrated energy systems that supply hydrogen, heat, power, and chemicals. It must clarify how federal agencies should work together and point out regulatory obstacles. The Secretary must send the strategy to Congress no later than 180 days after November 15, 2021, and update it at least once every 3 years.