Right now, no one agency is tasked with regulating pipelines and other hydrogen infrastructure. Experts say that could pose a problem after the nascent technology turns into big business.

By: Brian Dabbs / National Journal

 

A major legislative overhaul of infrastructure-permitting rules is now on ice after the chief architect of the deal, Sen. Joe Manchin, failed to amass enough votes to stick it on the stopgap funding bill moving through the Senate.

…

That language could clarify federal regulation of hydrogen and give developers more certainty that their projects will ultimately operate.

“There is uncertainty around hydrogen from a regulatory standpoint, not from a science or engineering standpoint,” Zane Rhodes, president of Newpoint Gas, told National Journal. “Anyone who wants to put in a hydrogen pipeline needs to know under what regulatory framework it can be licensed.”

On Wednesday, Newpoint Gas announced the formation of a new business venture, Trillium H2 Power, that will produce hydrogen to power its ammonia and silicon production at a former Energy Department facility near Columbus, Ohio. Rhodes expects the new venture to produce several thousand construction jobs and at least 250 long-term positions.

Some power-sector representatives are also backing the hydrogen-permitting language in the Manchin bill.

…

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are preparing to depart Washington after passing the stopgap funding measure. And despite the failure to move permitting reform this week, members on both sides of the aisle are aiming to negotiate a new permitting bill to tack onto another must-pass bill this year.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Contact: Daniel van Hoogstraten, [email protected]

 

COLUMBUS, OH – Newpoint Gas today announced it has established Trillium H2 Power, LLC (tH₂), which will be headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The entity will own and operate clean hydrogen energy production and sustainable manufacturing facilities. tH₂’s initial project and “the hub” for all future development will be identified as the h₂Trillium Energy and Manufacturing (h₂TEAM). The Complex will be located adjacent to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) site in Southeast Ohio.

 

In addition to establishing tH₂, Newpoint has completed their exclusive and right of first refusal property agreements with the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI), expanding the acreage commitment from 80 to 250 acres. tH₂ will be purchasing clean and remediated parcels formerly owned by DOE that have been deeded to SODI. SODI is the DOE-designated community reuse organization for the PORTS site.

 

“Finalizing the SODI property agreement for 250 acres which is required for the full development of the h₂TEAM Complex was the final task that we needed to complete so that we could launch efforts to secure investment and financing of the project” said Wiley Rhodes, CEO of Newpoint Gas. “With the land deal finalized, Mike Knisley of Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council scheduled some very productive meetings for us with the DOE Loan Program Office and a private investment group in DC. We are now engaged with both organizations regarding assisting in development of the SE Ohio project.”

 

“Organized labor is working to ensure the PORTS reindustrialization creates good-paying union jobs and is transformative in a region that has been left behind for too long,” said Mike Knisley, Secretary Treasurer, Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council. “We are showing how organized labor, private industry, and community leaders can come together to make a large-scale, job-creating project in the 21st-century economy a reality.”

 

Newpoint is working with local, state, and federal leadership to establish a regional hydrogen hub. Newpoint and its h₂TEAM partners are evaluating the recently released $8 billion DOE H2Hubs Initiative funding opportunity announcement as a possible resource for these efforts.

 

“In tandem with SODI, Ohio University is proud to have been a partner in developing the vision and leading the efforts to reindustrialize the PORTS site since 2010,” said Stephanie Howe, Director of Energy Programs at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. “After more than a decade of work and collaboration, the project will become a reality – creating endurable jobs in the new energy and sustainable manufacturing economy for the region for decades to come.”

 

“h₂TEAM represents a generational opportunity to reinvigorate communities that have been left behind as energy production and manufacturing shifted over the last several decades.” said Steve Shepherd, Executive Director of SODI. “By reindustrializing the former PORTS facility, we will be a nation-leading example – right here in Southern Ohio – of transforming a federal liability into a taxpayer asset that increases economic stability in struggling areas.”

 

Newpoint Gas was introduced to the project in 2020, and the h₂TEAM project builds on more than a decade of work by Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service and SODI to plan for, develop, and pursue the redevelopment of the PORTS facility. In addition to Newpoint Gas, SODI, Ohio University, Babcock & Wilcox, and J.W. Didado, the partnership also includes organized labor leaders in Ohio and other organizations in support of the reindustrialization effort

Generation and Carbon Sequestration Project near Piketon, Ohio

September 08, 2022 09:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time

AKRON, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–J.W. Didado Electric announced today that it has signed a teaming
agreement with Newpoint Gas to serve as a design assist and installation partner and provide electrical
and grid services work on the redevelopment of the former U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth
Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) into an advanced hydrogen generation, decarbonization and
combustion clean energy manufacturing facility near Piketon, Ohio.

The centerpiece of the h2Trillium Energy and Manufacturing (h2TEAM) Complex, the $1.5 billion project will
be an integrated energy system – closed loop manufacturing facility powered by clean hydrogen, with
carbon sequestration. At peak, in the construction phase, it will provide approximately 2,900 jobs and,
when finished, will produce clean silicon, ammonia, and power.

“We look forward to working with Newpoint and the other partners on this innovative and groundbreaking
endeavor,” said J.W. Didado President Dan Sublett. “Our parent company, Quanta Services, is an industry
leader in clean energy projects and we are excited to lend our collective expertise and abilities to such an
important project, one that will also create well-paying jobs for our union partners.”

“We appreciate the opportunity to add J.W. Didado and Quanta Services to the team developing the clean
power and manufacturing complex in Pike County,” said Wiley Rhodes, CEO of Newpoint Gas. “The
Didado family established their electrical services company in Ohio more than 60 years ago and built it
into the premier electrical contractor covering Appalachia. J.W. Didado’s ability to provide a highly skilled
union workforce and materials as well as its electrical and grid construction expertise further builds on the
foundation for this important clean energy project,” he said.

Dan Shirey, business manager of IBEW Local 575 noted, “The International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers has been involved with the project for more than a year now, partnering with other union leaders,
industry experts, and elected officials. With union contractor J.W. Didado Electric on board, rest assured
this project will provide great union wages and benefits to those who build it and provide a much-needed
economic boost for the local communities that surround the site. Thanks to passage of the Inflation
Reduction Act, this project will become a reality and support the livelihood of union families for years to
come.”

Stephanie Howe and her team at the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service
began working with Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) to redevelop the DOE Portsmouth site
in 2010. Newpoint joined that effort in 2020 to help define the redevelopment and launched the initiative
in March 2022. Working with the SODI, Babcock & Wilcox, Ohio University, J.W. Didado, and other
technical partners the team intends to pursue a part of the $8 billion Department of Energy Hydrogen Hub
(H2Hubs) grant for central Appalachia. If awarded, the grant of the funds will be invested in additional
development of hydrogen production and infrastructure bringing more jobs to the region.
About J.W. Didado Electric

J.W. Didado is a full-service electrical contractor providing high-performance solutions to a variety of
commercial, industrial, and residential customer needs. The company’s readily available manpower and
equipment allow it to successfully perform on projects of any size or type. For more information,
visit http://www.jwdidado.com.

About Quanta Services
Quanta Services is a leading specialized contracting services company, delivering comprehensive
infrastructure solutions for the utility, communications, pipeline, and energy industries. Quanta’s
comprehensive services include designing, installing, repairing, and maintaining energy and
communications infrastructure. With operations throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and
select other international markets, Quanta has the manpower, resources and expertise to safely complete
projects that are local, regional, national, or international in scope. For more information,
visit www.quantaservices.com.

Contacts:
Dr. Bill Paolillo
Vice President – Strategic Alliances & Advanced Technologies
J.W. Didado Electric
330-604-0527
[email protected]