October 13, 2023

Manchin Announces West Virginia Selected as New Home for Appalachian Regional Hydrogen Hub

Charleston, WV — Today, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) for up to $925 million in federal support under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will bring a hydrogen hub to West Virginia. Chairman Manchin’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $8 billion for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs to jumpstart the production, transport, and use of clean hydrogen across the U.S. As a Hydrogen Hub selectee, ARCH2 will develop a network of hydrogen-based energy and products manufacturing in West Virginia. The Hub is projected to create over 20,000 jobs, with the majority of those in West Virginia. The $925 million in federal funding is expected to unlock up to $6 billion in additional private sector matching funding.

“On behalf of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition I am so honored to announce that today the U.S. Department of Energy has selected the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub for up to $925 million in federal support under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This means West Virginia will be the new epicenter of hydrogen in the United States of America,” said Chairman Manchin.  “We won the hub because of the hard work of countless individuals and organizations, and I could not be prouder to be making this announcement today. As Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, I wrote and fought for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to include $8 billion to establish hydrogen hubs to demonstrate the production and use of clean hydrogen — and now, West Virginia will be on the leading edge of building out the new hydrogen market while bringing good-paying jobs and new economic opportunity to the state.” 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $9.5 billion for hydrogen. In addition to the $8 billion for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs that will jumpstart the production, transport, and use of clean hydrogen across the U.S. economy, it also included $1 billion for a Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program to reduce costs of hydrogen produced from electricity, and $500 million for Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling initiatives to support equipment manufacturing and strong domestic supply chains. The legislation also ensured at least one hub would be located in Appalachia as the largest natural gas producing region.  

A timeline of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition’s work is available below:

  • On February 15, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice announced the launch of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition to collaborate and support a strong West Virginia candidate to be chosen to develop a hydrogen hub, funded through $8 billion allocated to the U.S. Department of Energy by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
  • On February 25, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice convened the initial organizing meeting of the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition. 
  • On March 21, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice submitted the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition’s official response to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) first step in the process to select winning hydrogen hubs funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 
  • On April 28, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice welcomed bipartisan members of West Virginia’s legislative leadership to the West Virginia Hydrogen Hub Coalition, including Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw, President of the Senate Craig Blair, Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin and House Minority Leader Doug Skaff.
  • On July 28, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito and Governor Justice convened a robust group of energy industry leaders for a morning of panel discussions and presentations on hydrogen.
  • On September 28, 2022, Senators Manchin and Capito, Representative McKinley and Governor Justice announced their support for the new Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, comprised of over 40 entities.
  • On January 17, 2023, Senators Manchin and Capito and Governor Justice applauded ARCH2’s announcement that the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations encouraged the Hub to submit a full application.
  • On April 11, 2023, Senators Manchin and Capito and Governor Justice applauded the ARCH2 team for submitting their application to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.

To learn more about hydrogen hubs, please click here.

To learn more about hydrogen in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, please click here.

To learn more about the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, please click here.

To watch a video announcement from Chairman Manchin, click here.