LARAMIE, Wyo. — As global needs for more environmentally sustainable energy solutions grow, Wyoming’s chief industry, energy extraction, is at danger of being left to dry. However, a new study published by University of Wyoming researchers theorizes that the state might find its solution in hydrogen.
The study, authored here in Wyoming by a range of contributors from UW and state community colleges, suggests that a possible solution for Wyoming becoming a net-zero emissions economy lies in the often environmentally scrutinized natural gas industry.
Blue hydrogen is an energy resource sourced from natural gas production using a process called steam methane reforming that would be paired with carbon capture and storage. Like natural gas itself, blue hydrogen has a large range of electrical and energy uses. Importantly, it is much cleaner than pure natural gas.
The study then suggests that Wyoming could use the resource as its key to staying at the forefront of the country’s energy economy while still prioritizing net-zero emissions goals.
According to the United States Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, SMR is an energy production process that attaches itself to already existing natural gas production infrastructure.
Natural gas’ primary composition is methane, which is made of carbon and hydrogen molecules. By heating methane gas through thermal processes like steam power, the gas breaks up into its primary components.
Methane (CH4) contains more hydrogen than carbon, but carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, are still produced nonetheless. According to the study, SMR paired with carbon capture would alleviate greenhouse gas production during this process.
Notably, blue hydrogen is not actually the cleanest form of hydrogen gas production. Another process called renewable-powered electrolysis produces a cleaner form of hydrogen gas referred to as green hydrogen. However, the study authors point out that the production cost of green hydrogen is much higher than its blue counterpart and is less feasible for the state to produce en mass.
According to the study, Wyoming especially lends itself to being a potential key player in the production of the resource for a number of reasons. For one, blue hydrogen production runs on extant natural gas infrastructure, which Wyoming has. The Petroleum Association of Wyoming reports that in 2022, the state had around 17,800 gas producing wells.
A pro-energy regulatory environment that the state has fostered over the years is also an attractive factor to the industry, the study authors suggest. The study points to legislation such as the state’s Low-Carbon Energy Standards as being favorable for the resource’s growth here in the Cowboy State.
Federal tax incentives laid out by the Inflation Reduction Act would furthermore economically benefit the state if blue hydrogen production was kickstarted here.
Another potential benefit to this extraction method would be how it could stimulate the workforce economy within the state. At a time where the energy industry is often at odds with the federal regulatory environment, a new perspective on energy production could keep students studying here in Wyoming and getting oil and gas jobs in-state.
Researcher and UW Hydrogen Energy Research Center Director Eugene Holubnyak said in a UW Institutional Communications release that the benefits to Wyoming citizens was a factor in the paper.
“This study really allowed us to incorporate the views of the community colleges and explore some of the economic incentives and workforce training opportunities for a natural gas-based, low-carbon hydrogen industry,” Holubnyak said.
Where it gets complicated is that coupling carbon capture and storage with MSR in hydrogen gas production is costly and sucks up water resources.
Hydrogen gas production isn’t an unheard of process. Currently, according to the study authors, 95% of the country’s hydrogen is produced through SMR. However, all of that is done so without the additional process of storing the carbon byproducts. Hydrogen produced this way, in keeping with the color trend, is called gray hydrogen.
Blue hydrogen production is 55% more expensive overall and increases water withdrawal intensity by 87%. The decision to prioritize blue hydrogen over gray hydrogen or natural gas would therefore be a weighty one.
Using National Energy Technology Laboratory assessments, adjusting them to the Wyoming economy and then factoring in the possible benefits from IRA tax credits, the authors did find that the state could be in a beneficial position if it began implementing plant-scale hydrogen production.
Put to an actual number, the study suggests that the state could up to $2 per kilogram of low-carbon hydrogen if captured carbon byproduct is properly stored in saline reservoirs. With the tax credits that would subsequently follow, the state would also earn $85 per metric ton of carbon dioxide captured.
Not dismissing the economic potential of green hydrogen, which sells for at least $3 per kilogram, the study authors say both could ultimately have a solid future in Wyoming.
“As Wyoming has abundant natural gas and wind resources, blue and green hydrogen can be options in the near and long terms to create new jobs and diversify the state’s energy-driven economy, respectively,” according to the study.
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Wyoming’s economic outlook is mixed for 2025, with a continuing decline in the coal industry, shortages in housing and child care, and an aging population clouding the state’s mid- and long-term growth prospects, according to a new University of Wyoming report.
The Center for Business and Economic Analysis in UW’s College of Business issued its second annual Wyoming Economic Forecast in conjunction with the Governor’s Business Forum.
“The year ahead for Wyoming holds many opportunities and challenges, including finding solutions to current binding constraints for growth — housing affordability for workers, challenging transportation and connectivity resulting in constrained access to markets, a thin and complex labor market, and the brain drain in our higher-education graduates, among others,” the report reads.
Still, the report predicts a slight increase in the state’s labor force in 2025, with just a small increase in the unemployment rate to 3.2%, lower than the national rate. And the state’s population is expected to increase slightly.
The UW economists used the large-scale structural economic forecasting model Moody’s Analytics, along with conversations with Wyoming and regional business leaders, to develop the economic outlook report.
Among the positive signs for Wyoming’s economy:
On the other hand, economic headwinds include:
“The implications of our aging population are broad reaching,” the report reads. “The K-12 school-age student population will be impacted in both the near- and long-term; the workforce necessary for economic growth and the number of potential entrepreneurs and small-business owners will decline. In addition, by 2031, the high school enrollment of the state is expected to decline by 5.6%, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics.”
People can read the full Wyoming Economic Forecast online here.
Photo Credit: Will Lawton
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — “Sulphur Creek, Wyoming,” writes photographer Will Lawton. “End of day ice fishing. Great day to be alive.”
It sure is, Will. It sure is.
Do you have a photo that captures the beauty of Wyoming? Submit it by clicking here and filling out the form, and we may share it!
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Ashton Jeanty became Boise State’s first 2,000-yard rusher by collecting 169 yards on 19 carries as the 12th-ranked Broncos beat Wyoming 17-13 on Saturday night in Laramie, Wyo.
Jeanty, who also found the end zone once on the ground, entered the contest as the nation’s leading rusher with 1,893 yards. His big performance on Saturday helped Boise State (10-1, 7-0 Mountain West Conference) clinch a berth in the conference championship game.
The Broncos got 53 rushing yards from Jeanty during their penultimate drive of the game, which ended with Jambres Dubar rumbling across the goal line from 2 yards out for a 17-13 lead with 5:02 to go.
Wyoming (2-9, 2-5) turned the ball over on downs on its ensuing possession. It had gone up 13-10 earlier in the fourth quarter when John Hoyland made good on a 35-yard field goal with 9:03 remaining.
Maddux Madsen completed 14 of 26 passes for 168 yards for Boise State. Cameron Camper had five catches for 74 yards, while Dubar rushed for 22 yards and the touchdown on five touches.
Kaden Anderson started under center for the Cowboys, but he did not play in the second half because of an apparent injury. He had 116 yards and a TD on 9-of-14 passing prior to exiting. Evan Svoboda took over and hit on 6 of 13 passes for 87 yards.
Wyoming’s Justin Stevenson had four catches for 82 yards and a touchdown, and Jaylen Sargent finished with four receptions for 86 yards. Boise State took a 7-3 lead on a 61-yard Jeanty touchdown run with 3:40 to go in the first quarter. Jeanty cut back and sprinted down the wide side of the field for the score.
Early in the second quarter, Anderson launched a pass from the Cowboys’ logo at midfield and found a leaping Sargent for a 41-yard completion. Two plays later, Stevenson grabbed a 5-yard TD for a 10-7 lead with 9:36 to go.
As time ran out in the first half, Jonah Dalmas’ 24-yard field goal tied the game at 10.
–Field Level Media
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