Hydrogen storage facility proposed at Red Lake

KINGMAN – Word of a major renewable energy project is bubbling about Kingman. Phoenix Hydrogen and its Mohave Green Energy Hub LLC are exploring development of a hydrogen storage project at Red Lake, about 30 miles north of Kingman.

Mohave Green Energy Hub Kingman Site Manager Greg Bartlett began meeting with political, business and other community leaders in the Kingman area Monday. He said he’ll continue making the rounds through Friday and that communication has also begun with officials within Mohave County government.

Bartlett will provide more project specifics in coming days in what will be a long process, but he confirmed the project would involve generation of solar power that can be converted to hydrogen. The hydrogen would be stored within naturally fortified underground salt dome caverns at Red Lake for sale and distribution.

Bartlett said the caverns are ideal for hydrogen storage and that those behind the project will try to tap available federal funds to support the endeavor. He said about 9,000 acres of private property for the project are essentially secure through an acquisition option.

Some information is offered in a telephone recording.

“The Mohave Green Energy Hub is being developed in Mohave County, Ariz. near Kingman. The project located in the high Mohave Desert will include photovoltaic solar farms, green hydrogen generation and storage,” the narrator said. “The Mohave Hub will be fully powered by renewable energy and provides the ideal foundation of a U.S. Department of Energy regional green hub model.”

President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorized use of up to $7-billion to help develop hydrogen hubs.

“Clean hydrogen hubs will create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and local connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier that can deliver or store tremendous amounts of energy,” according to the Department of Energy website. “The production, processing, delivery, storage, and end-use of clean hydrogen, including innovative uses in the industrial sector, are crucial to DOE’s strategy for achieving President Biden’s goal of a 100 percent clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

The narrated phone message touts the environmentally friendly features of the Mohave Green Energy Hub.

“The project will be capable of storing 1,000 gigawatt hours at any given time, equivalent to the peak consumption of up to 450,000 single family homes. It will offset 825,750 tons of coal-burned power stations today,” the narrator said. It also said that initial operation is expected in 2026, but Bartlett indicated 2028 is a better estimate.

Dave Hawkins