Port of Long Beach joins clean hydrogen alliance

Outlook & Strategy

October 7, 2022, by Ajsa Habibic

The Port of Long Beach has joined the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES), a public-private partnership formed to help capture federal funding for developing a renewable hydrogen market in California.

ARCHES was launched to serve as the lead applicant for California’s bid to win funding for a hydrogen hub under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) program.

Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the H2Hubs program is said to be one of the largest investments in the history of the Department of Energy.

For this initial funding opportunity launch, DOE is aiming to select six to ten hubs for a combined total of up to $7 billion in federal funding.

“ARCHES represents an incredible opportunity for the City and Port of Long Beach to advance local and regional clean hydrogen hub development goals and ensure we are making investments in clean hydrogen technologies in the future”, said Long Beach Councilwoman Cindy Allen.

“Green hydrogen is a powerful tool, and it can potentially be used to decarbonise the heaviest industries and energy uses, like shipping, aviation, and heavy-duty trucks. It will also address the concerns and needs of communities that have sustained the disproportionate burden of environmental impacts. As Chair of the Long Beach City Council Climate Action and Environmental Committee, I will always advocate for policies and initiatives that further our green energy goals, and ARCHES is an example of one of these programs.”

“Establishment of a hydrogen hub in California would support achieving our zero emission goals”, said Port of Long Beach’s executive director Mario Cordero. “With $8 billion in federal funding available, we want to ensure we have as much leverage as possible to see that our fair share comes to California, and specifically to the ports. This is a step toward this and accelerating the nation’s clean energy transition.”

The decision to join the alliance is in line with the Port of Long Beach’s ambition to advance its zero-emission goals.

In order to tackle greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants, the port has set a goal of all zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment by 2030 and a zero-emissions drayage truck fleet by 2035. Today, about 17% of the cargo-handling equipment at the port is electric-powered, the largest such fleet in the United States.

The port has also committed $150 million to support zero and near-zero emissions demonstration projects inside the port and on Southern California roads. To date, $70 million in grant funding has been secured to help support these projects.

Last month, the Port announced that a trucking company partner will convert to fully-zero emissions by 2025 – 10 years before the 2035 goal.