Texas is a Hydrogen State
Texas has the resources and desire to implement hydrogen as a transportation fuel. In 2023, HyVelocity, Inc., was awarded one of seven US DOE grants, valued at $1.2 billion, to establish a clean hydrogen production hub centered in Houston. This will supplement Texas’ existing, 38% share of domestic US hydrogen production capacity. Texas produced hydrogen, primarily used in crude oil refining, has potential to be used directly as a transportation fuel, which is a use case that is rapidly emerging in the truck market, particularly Class 8 tractors. ​
​Texas salt domes are an additional resource which are highly complementary to the emerging hydrogen industry. These impermeable geologic reservoirs from which oil and gas have been extracted, can be repurposed to store pressurized hydrogen gas, as demonstrated by the Beaumont, TX hydrogen storage cavern that holds on the order of 4.5 billion cubic feet of hydrogen. ​
​Furthermore, the Texas Gulf Coast hosts a portion of the largest dedicated hydrogen pipeline network in the US. Pipeline is the lowest cost method for hydrogen transmission and distribution. ​
​All of these Texas factors mesh well with the 2024 US National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, which prioritizes electric truck infrastructure, including hydrogen. Factors for prioritizing this network of electromotive infrastructure include freight volume, port tonnage, freight activity and air pollution burden. These bring Texas to the forefront as a priority state. In fact funds are already flowing; FHWA has awarded $70 million to develop hydrogen truck fueling stations in the Texas Triangle and US DOE has funded development of the nation’s first interstate hydrogen freight corridor along Interstate 10, connecting the Texas Triangle to Los Angeles. ​
​Given these opportunities, hydrogen has potential to take the Texas trucking world by the horns. ​
