What turned Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Dubai into global hubs of luxury? The answer is clear—oil, a finite resource that’s on the verge of depletion. Recently, however, the U.S. has uncovered an even more advanced, futuristic, and highly potent energy source. Experts are stunned, as this discovery includes the largest mine ever found. The excitement is so great that they are considering drastic measures to extract and distribute it globally. Here’s a look at this groundbreaking project, set to spark significant discussion in the near future.
America has the “oil of the future” in this huge mine: We could generate more than Saudi Arabia
Texas is renowned for the launch of Hydrogen City, which will be the first project in the world to generate the largest quantity of green hydrogen across the globe. Specifically, this green hydrogen production storage and transport system is based on the Peidras Pintas Salt Dome in South Texas.
The project is a partnership between GHI and Inpex Corporation, where the planned production of green hydrogen will be 280,000 tons annually to produce 1 million tons of green ammonia annually to be exported to the markets. Hydrogen City, on the other hand, will be able to take advantage of abundantly available renewable energy popular in Texas, like solar and wind power.
The plan of the project is to purchase electricity from the ERCOT grid during off-peak hours as an addition to renewable resources. It encapsulates electrolyzers’ optimization necessity and cooperation with salt caverns, as well as the need for buffering from the fluctuating wind and solar power and taking hydrogen directly from consumers.
This “oil of the future” is not black but green or blue: 30 million tons to be generated
The green hydrogen generated at Hydrogen City will be used to create green ammonia, and thereafter, the ammonia will be exported to several markets. The project has the ambition to satisfy the growing Asian demand for clean fuels and precisely Japanese METI’s target of increasing the share of renewable ammonia to 30 million tons by 2050.
The impacts of Hydrogen City can be seen as a chance that will change the face of the energy production in America in the nearest future. This way, the project can play a significant role in eliminating carbon through green hydrogen in the transport, electricity generation and production industries.
The green ammonia that is produced can then be used as a cleaner version of the regularly produced ammonia that is made using fossil fuels today. It can also help to cut greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the transformation of existing energy systems for future green energy.
Hydrogen City in California, to be expanded: We want even more energy than what we currently have
The project is envisaged to generate up to 60 GW of green hydrogen, making it perhaps one of perhaps the largest in the world if scaled up. Thus, similar to Henry Hub as a store of natural gas, the salt storage at Piedras Pintas Salt Dome can, in the long term, accommodate up to 6 TWh of energy.
There is substantial scientific and technological backup for the project. ABB has recently entered into an MoU with GHI for the purpose of studying the use of automation, electrification and digital technology with the company at Hydrogen City. This cooperation is to enhance the Electrical System Architecture and make it more adaptable to the upcoming requirements.
The project is expected to commence construction in 2026, and commercial production will begin in 2029. Subsequent phases will be incorporated as demand increases, allowing for increased scope in production. However, due to the project’s scale and the efficient use of innovative storage solutions, it can be considered one of the most important projects to boost green hydrogen.
Hydrogen extraction in America could bring about a real revolution in our energy policy, which relies almost exclusively on photovoltaics and wind power. If the forecasts are confirmed, we are facing an energy reserve for millennia and several states that will earn billions of dollars, directly and indirectly, which we are already calling “the new Dubai”. Do you now understand the reasons? We certainly have reason to be optimistic.
