SARTA, Enbridge plan electrolysis as part of Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub
NORTH CANTON − The Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub hosted an open house Thursday at Walsh University to answer questions and gather feedback as part of the project’s first phase.
It was one of three open houses for the regional hub that includes a Canton location, said Shawn Bennett, energy and resilience division manager at Battelle. The Columbus-based Battelle is leading the Appalachian hydrogen hub, which is referred to as ARCH2 and consists of sites across Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Bennett said,
Right now, we’re really in that community outreach, beginning stages,
“We’re at least two years before any construction happens.”
The U.S. Department of Energy established the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations in 2021 to address climate issues and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided more than $25 billion toward that goal, and $7 billion was designated for seven regional hydrogen hubs across the nation.
The office awarded $30 million for the hub’s first phase of planning and development in July 2024. All four phases could net up to $925 million in federal funds, but that’s contingent on reaching “certain milestones,” Bennett said.
The first phase involves site selections, studies, engineering work and community outreach. The National Environmental Policy Act requires all federal projects to review potential environmental impacts before beginning construction.
SARTA and Enbridge project
The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority and Enbridge Gas Ohio want to use electrolysis to produce hydrogen fuel for SARTA buses on or near the 1600 Gateway Blvd. SE facility.
SARTA’s hydrogen fuel cell buses currently are fueled by what is known as gray hydrogen, with no capture of the carbon created during its production in Canada. Electrolysis uses electricity and water to produce hydrogen without emitting carbon and would remove the associated transportation emissions, Bennett said.
He said,
Hydrogen in itself is a cleaner option than fossil fuels,
The project would include on-site storage and connective infrastructure to refuel SARTA’s fleet, according to ARCH2 documents.
Environmental advocates voice concerns
About 10 to 15 people wearing anti-hydrogen slogans also attended the open house and hosted a press conference about their concerns that the projects would not be as clean or cheap as advertised.
Bev Reed, a community organizer for the nonprofit Buckeye Environmental Network, said the process has not been well publicized or transparent and the hydrogen hub will “perpetuate fracking,” a method for extracting oil and natural gas from deep rock formations. The group would prefer to explore alternative energy options, such as electric buses.
Reed said,
We just feel that this project is not good for communities,
Kat Finneran, a Columbus resident, also criticized the ARCH2 group for hosting a community event in winter at a private university and expressed doubts that the hydrogen produced would be better for the environment.
She said,
It is not cheap,
“It is not clean.”
One method in which natural gas is used to produce hydrogen, known as blue hydrogen, involves the capture and storage of its carbon byproduct. Bennett said no projects in Ohio involve blue hydrogen and the projects using it in other states will have an insignificant impact on the existing natural gas industry, which mostly exports natural gas out of the region.
He said,
These hydrogen projects essentially create a localized outlet for that natural gas to create jobs and opportunities in the Appalachian basin …,
“The natural gas industry is not dependent on these hydrogen projects. It’s a very small amount of natural gas that will be going to these hydrogen projects compared to the overall amount of production.”
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SARTA, Enbridge plan electrolysis as part of Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, source
