Great Lakes Clean Hydrogen Coalition Encouraged to Submit Full Application by U.S. Department of Energy

TOLEDO, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Great Lakes Clean Hydrogen coalition (GLCH) today announced it has received encouragement from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to proceed with the development and submittal of their full hydrogen hub application.  The coalition, which is led by Linde (NYSE: LIN; FWB: LIN), Energy Harbor, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF), GE Aerospace and the University of Toledo, along with the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council (GMIC), was among 79 organizations submitting concept papers to the DOE for development consideration. The proposal, by GLCH, was selected as one of 33 projects encouraged to proceed to the full application process.

GLCH has proposed to develop low-carbon hydrogen via electrolysis based in Oak Harbor, Ohio at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station.  The facility proposes to distribute the hydrogen across the Great Lakes region by pipeline and road transportation.  

The GLCH project is built on the foundation of ongoing, preliminary work supported by the DOE and the Idaho National Laboratory.  The proposed approach will supplement hydrogen from nuclear power, as needed, with clean hydrogen produced through solar energy projects under development in the region.  The coalition is actively working with the states of Ohio and Michigan, technology suppliers, hydrogen consumers, state and regional academic institutions, national laboratories, and non-profit organizations to develop a clean energy hydrogen hub to serve Ohio, Michigan and portions of Pennsylvania and Indiana.  Total project investment is expected to exceed $2 billion, with 50 percent requested from federal infrastructure funding managed by the DOE's regional clean hydrogen hub initiative.  

Initially, this proposal addresses decarbonization in the steel, aviation, and glass industries while supporting the transition to hydrogen transit in buses and other vehicles.  Through the full scope of the application, GLCH intends to grow to serve additional companies operating in the Great Lakes region, interested in decarbonizing their products, manufacturing facilities, power generation plants, and mobility networks with low-carbon hydrogen.  GLCH intends that investments in the project benefit the communities involved and advance environmental justice, diversity, equity and inclusion as well as create opportunity for high value jobs.

Building upon three-years of work with the DOE national laboratories and university partners, GLCH is an industry-led coalition focused on transitioning Midwest manufacturing, mobility, power generation and technology operators away from greenhouse gas emitting feedstocks and fuels to hydrogen, a low carbon alternative solution.  Working with economic development professionals in the region, GLCH anticipates also attracting investors and new businesses who value access to low carbon hydrogen resulting in jobs at prevailing wages, support for disadvantaged communities and a healthier environment.

GLCH believes it differentiates itself from other hub initiatives through the use of existing carbon free infrastructure from Energy Harbor's safe, reliable nuclear power generation, technology that produces low carbon hydrogen at a very competitive price, diverse distribution channels and hydrogen-ready facilities, such as Cleveland-Cliffs' Direct Reduction plant located in Toledo, Ohio.  

Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2021 sales of $31 billion (€26billion). We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing high-quality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain and protect our planet.

The company serves a variety of end markets including chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. Linde's industrial gases are used in countless applications, from life-saving oxygen for hospitals to high-purity & specialty gases for electronics manufacturing, hydrogen for clean fuels and much more. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.

For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit www.linde.com

Energy Harbor is a highly reliable provider of carbon free baseload electricity committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles critical to meeting the nation's emissions goals and accelerating the country's clean energy transition. Our success is driven by our unwavering employee commitment to safe, reliable operations, financial stability and best in class service to meet the energy and sustainability needs of our customers.

For more information on Energy Harbor visit www.energyharbor.com

Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America. Founded in 1847 as a mine operator, Cliffs also is the largest manufacturer of iron ore pellets in North America. The Company is vertically integrated from mined raw materials, direct reduced iron, and ferrous scrap to primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest supplier of steel to the automotive industry in North America and serves a diverse range of other markets due to its comprehensive offering of flat-rolled steel products. Cleveland-Cliffs has established a climate commitment to reduce its GHG emissions 25% by 2030 from 2017 levels and is a partner of the DOE's Better Climate Challenge, which encourages companies to set bold portfolio-wide GHG reduction targets. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs employs approximately 27,000 people across its operations in the United States and Canada.

GE Aerospace is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components, and systems for commercial and military aircraft with a global service network to support these offerings. GE Aerospace and its joint ventures have an installed base of more than 39,000 commercial and 26,000 military aircraft engines, and the business is playing a vital role in shaping the future of flight.

A public research university offering more than 250 undergraduate and graduate programs and internationally recognized in renewable energy and water research, and its ability to connect research to the broader community.  The University is leading the diversity, equity and environmental justice aspects of GLCH's application.  Its Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization (PVIC) is charged with developing and advancing solar to H2 projects in the GLCH hub. PVIC has received more than $50 million in external funding over the past decade and leads the DOE's solar energy CdTe Accelerator Consortium.

GMIC is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association representing the interests of the glass manufacturing industry. GMIC bridges all segments of glass manufacturing, including float glass, container, fiber, and specialty glass. GMIC does for individual companies what they would find difficult to do on their own; provide technical education, coordinate technical initiatives, provide industry intelligence, develop workforce, advocate with lawmakers, promote the usage and image of glass products and provide opportunities to meet and exchange ideas. Incorporated in 1998, the council is governed by a board of trustees with offices in Westerville Ohio.

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SOURCE Energy Harbor