Could hydrogen be the next big market it Kentucky? Beshear says he’s working to bring investments, jobs

By Tom Latek
Kentucky Immediately

Gov. Andy Beshear mentioned Monday he’s working to carry hydrogen investments and jobs to Kentucky by working with fellow governors in six states to advance a hydrogen market, provide chain and workforce growth throughout the Midwest area.

Gov. Beshear joins governors of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin in making a Midwest Hydrogen Coalition. The coalition supplies a regional framework for a powerful hydrogen market that’s hoped will spur new industries and good-paying jobs, promote vitality resilience and enhance public well being by decreasing air pollution.

“Kentucky’s strong infrastructure, robust chemical, and manufacturing base, together with our management within the automotive and logistics sectors place us as a pure location for financial growth in hydrogen,” he mentioned. “We’re trying ahead to working with our Midwest and native trade companions to construct a hydrogen economic system in Kentucky.”

Hydrogen will be produced via fossil, renewable and nuclear sources, based on the Governor’s workplace. The vitality density and vitality carrying capability of hydrogen make it a lovely cleaner gasoline choice for transportation, aviation and industrial makes use of, in addition to electrical energy era purposes.

With its intensive freight and pipeline community and underground storage areas, the state has the vitality infrastructure to help, improve or increase hydrogen manufacturing, hydrogen distribution and hydrogen car infrastructure. Kentucky can also be uniquely situated on the heart of a 34-state distribution space for delivery merchandise by truck or rail throughout the Jap United States, and is inside a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. inhabitants.

In July, Kentucky Interstate highways 64, 65, and 75 had been authorized by the Federal Freeway Administration as hydrogen transportation corridors, supporting the event of hydrogen fueling infrastructure on these key freight corridors. The approval of those three corridors indicators the significance of transportation connectivity to a nationwide hydrogen economic system.

“The automotive trade is present process basic change,” mentioned Transportation Secretary Jim Grey. “We’re trying to the longer term, and different fuels will provide shoppers extra decisions to energy their drives. Kentucky, already changing into the capital of electrical car battery manufacturing, and now with three interstates designated as hydrogen gasoline corridors, is ideally positioned for a management position.”