SGH2 has a deal with Lancaster, California, to build what could be the world’s biggest green hydrogen production plant, according to the company.
The production plant would be in full operation by early 2023, reported Power Magazine.
The plant will feature SGH2’s technology, which uses recycled mixed paper waste to produce green hydrogen. According to SGH2, its process reduces carbon emissions by two to three times more than green hydrogen produced using electrolysis and renewable energy.
SGH2 makes hydrogen with a plasma heating technology, which was originally developed for NASA. This technology can disintegrate recyclable materials at high temperatures.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said last year that it would attempt to build what would be the world’s first hydrogen-fueled power plant.
The City of Lancaster will co-own the production facility, according to a memorandum of understanding between the city and SGH2, reported Power Magazine. The plant will produce up to 11,000 kilograms of green hydrogen per day, or 3.8 million kilograms per year, processing 42,000 tons of waste annually.
“As the world, and our city, cope with the coronavirus crisis, we are looking for ways to ensure a better future. We know a circular economy with renewable energy is the path, and we have positioned ourselves to be the alternative energy capital of the world,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris when the project was announced. “This is game-changing technology. It not only solves our air quality and climate challenges by producing pollution free hydrogen, it also solves our plastics and waste problems by turning them into green hydrogen and does it clean and at costs far lower than any other green hydrogen producer.”
The plant is expected to be built on five acres in an industrial area of Lancaster. The facility will employ about 35 workers once it’s operating. It is expected to provide more than 600 jobs during construction.
SGH2 expects to break ground in early 2021, with start-up and commissioning in late 2022 and full operations scheduled in early 2023.
The city will guarantee a supply of recyclables for the facility and also said several hydrogen refueling stations in California are negotiating to purchase the plant’s supply.
SGH2 is currently in negotiations to launch similar projects in several countries, according to Power Magazine. The company’s stacked modular design is built to be rapidly scaled and is not dependent on weather conditions.