U.S. Power Companies Go Greener by Co-firing Hydrogen

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In a recent Today in Energy newsletter, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) discussed the gradual adoption of hydrogen into the fuel mix of U.S. natural gas-fired plants. Some plants are being constructed with the dual fuels in mind, some existing plants are experimenting with co-firing hydrogen with good results, and some plants are modifying or adding new turbines to their existing gas-fired plants.

Tests at Existing Plants
The EIA notes that in 2023, natural gas accounted for 43% of the power generated in the U.S. While the greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas are less than that from coal, displacing a fraction of natural gas with hydrogen can help lower emissions. Certain existing plants have experimented with co-firing hydrogen in their fuel mix with good results. Georgia Power, for example, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE:SO) (Atlanta, Georgia), experimented with co-firing hydrogen in one of the 233-megawatt (MW) turbines at the company's Jack McDonough Generating Station with a blend of up to 20% hydrogen. Georgia Power found carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were reduced 7% when burning hydrogen. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.

In September 2022, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) (White Plains, New York) experimented with co-firing hydrogen and gas at its 47-MW Brentwood peaking station. The NYPA varied hydrogen blends from 5% to 44% and found that with a 35% blend of hydrogen in the natural gas stream, CO2 emissions were reduced by 14%. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the plant profile.

New-Build
With positive results from Georgia Power, NYPA and others, developers are now constructing plants with co-firing hydrogen as part of the planning process from the ground up. Industrial Info is tracking several plants currently under construction that are aimed at burning hydrogen along with natural gas. In Plaquemine, Louisiana, for example, Kindle Energy LLC (Princeton, New Jersey) is constructing its Magnolia Generating Station, which will be able to burn a mix of up to 50% hydrogen, one of the highest planned hydrogen blends Industrial Info is tracking for a U.S. power plant. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor The Industrial Company (Englewood, Colorado) started construction in early 2023, and the plant is expected to enter operation in 2025. The facility will use GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) (Cambridge, Massachusetts) equipment in a combined-cycle configuration. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.

Another grassroot combined-cycle plant with hydrogen capabilities is being constructed in Delta, Utah, to help replace power lost from a retiring coal-fired plant. Intermountain Power Agency (Delta, Utah) is building a plant using Mitsubishi equipment capable of burning up to a 30% blend of hydrogen in the gas stream. The 840-MW plant is expected to be up and running next year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.

Not to be outdone, one of the largest-capacity hydrogen-capable grassroot plants is being built in Texas by Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) (New Orleans, Louisiana). The Orange County Advanced Power Station will use Mitsubishi equipment, which reports indicate will be capable of burning up to a 30% hydrogen blend. This plant also is expected be completed next year. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.

Upgrades to Existing Plants
Other power companies are looking at ways to alter equipment in their plants to make them hydrogen-ready. Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) (Charlotte, North Carolina) is examining ways to actually make green hydrogen on site for fuel use at its 83-MW DeBary Power Station in DeBary, Florida. Electricity from an adjacent 74.5-MW solar farm will power electrolyzers used to make 36 kilograms per hour of green hydrogen from reclaimed wastewater. The hydrogen will partially fuel a turbine for periods of between 30 minutes and three hours per day. Subscribers can click here to learn more.

The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, which also is a player in the new plant in Delta, Utah, is examining converting units 1 and 2 at its Scattergood plant in California, together representing 346 MW of generation, to run on a fuel mix with a minimum of 30% hydrogen, perhaps with the capability to boost this to 100% should doing so become feasible. The project remains in the planning stages but could begin in 2026, putting the plant on track to begin burning hydrogen in 2029. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.

As green hydrogen becomes a more mainstream and prevalent fuel source, we will probably see more hydrogen-capable grassroot and conversion projects. Today's early adopters will be one step ahead of the competition, able to reduce carbon emissions significantly when the time comes.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).