HARC to Lead the Historic Project’s Local Impact and Community Engagement Effort
Houston, TX (November 21, 2024) – The HyVelocity Hub – a multi-partner, multi-location initiative to build and expand low-carbon hydrogen production and infrastructure in Texas and the Gulf Coast – has executed a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) to receive up to $1.2 billion in federal funding to begin this historic energy project.
The first phase of federal funding ($22 million) will be dedicated to planning, development, and design activities around site selection, technology deployment, community benefits and engagement, labor partnerships, and workforce training. Learn more about the hydrogen hub project phases on DOE’s website.
HyVelocity (HyV) aims to become the country’s largest hydrogen hub and will leverage the Gulf Coast region’s high concentration of existing hydrogen production and end-use assets to develop low-carbon hydrogen that can power fuel cell vehicles, industrial processes, ammonia production, refining and petrochemical production, and marine shipping fuel.
Over its lifetime, HyVelocity is expected to create about 45,000 jobs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by seven million metric tons per year – equivalent to the annual emissions of more than a million and a half gasoline-powered cars.
Learn more about the initiative and read the official HyVelocity press release.
HyVelocity, HARC, and Local Impact and Community Engagement
In the first phase, HARC plans to engage local communities in the project area to understand local concerns, develop mitigation plans, and address how project leaders and the community can maximize the local economic, health, and environmental benefits this clean energy initiative can produce.
“It is imperative this project start and end with the local community in mind,” said HARC CEO John Hall. “Clean energy development can produce transformational change for local communities, but only if we do it right. Process matters. People matter. We must develop this project with the community, not foist it upon them. HARC is proud to lead this integral component of HyVelocity and is thankful to all of the project partners for their full-throated commitment to delivering the local benefits we have promised.”
HARC will apply a metric-based approach to include community and worker voices as an integral part of HyVelocity planning.
“HARC is committed to ensuring there is continued engagement with community, labor stakeholders, and local workforce organizations that focuses on addressing community priorities and concerns and that benefits flow to impacted communities throughout the HyVelocity project and beyond,” said HARC’s Dr. Margaret Cook. “Our goal is to create genuine two-way engagement that builds trust, includes diverse perspectives, addresses concerns, and delivers tangible benefits to all communities connected to HyVelocity.”
HyVelocity has support from over 100 organizations, including Historically Black Universities and Colleges, community, workforce, labor, and economic organizations, non-profits, academia, state and local governments, and energy and industrial companies to develop an impactful and positive benefits plan.
“The Houston Area Urban League applauds HARC’s efforts to engage the local community as HyVelocity gets underway,” said Eric M. Goodie, executive vice president of the Houston Area Urban League. “We’re encouraged by HARC’s collaborative approach and look forward to continued partnership as this important initiative moves forward.”
About HARC (Houston Advanced Research Center)
HARC is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit research, policy and program implementation organization that forges sustainability solutions and improves the quality of life of people for generations to come. Learn more at www.harcresearch.org or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.
About HyVelocity
The HyVelocity Hub, an industry-led initiative administered by GTI Energy, will leverage the world’s largest concentration of existing hydrogen production and end-use assets in Texas and the Gulf Coast to deliver the benefits of low-carbon hydrogen and good-paying jobs to local communities. HyVelocity is led by core industry-owned sponsors and consists of a wide array of supporting partners.
Contact
HARC – Colin Rowan
512-222-9603
[email protected]
HyVelocity – Kristin Cone, GTI Energy
847-768-0794
[email protected]
