Prime contractor to assist four-state region in federal funding proposal process
SANTA FE – On behalf of the Western-Inter States Hydrogen Hub, of which New Mexico is a member, the Wyoming Energy Authority issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a prime contractor to assist efforts across a four-state region to submit a proposal to the Department of Energy for the funding opportunity announcement “Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs.” If awarded, the prime contractor will manage the implementation of the regional hydrogen hub project for the Hub.
On Feb. 23, 2022, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create the Western-Inter States Hydrogen Hub (WISHH) coalition. WISHH is coordinating and developing a joint application for a regional clean hydrogen hub allocation in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The four states are uniquely qualified and situated to serve as a hydrogen hub. These states have thriving hydrogen economies given the presence of high-quality wind, solar, biomass and other energy resources; a sophisticated oil and natural gas industry; robust energy-transportation infrastructure; and an established carbon management infrastructure with both favorable underlying geologies and regulatory structures.
“The Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs funding through the DOE has created an opportunity for our Western mountain states to collaborate and leverage each other's strengths to grow the hydrogen economy. We look forward to continuing to build this coalition for a competitive hydrogen hub that will be a cornerstone of the national hydrogen network,” said Anja Bendel, Program Director for WISHH.
Earlier this year, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham named Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes; Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst, and Environment Secretary James Kenney to the WISHH executive committee.
The Request for Proposals opened on July 19 and will close on Aug. 16, 2022.