CenterPoint, Xcel Move Forward with 'Green' Hydrogen Pilot Projects
CenterPoint Energy has launched its inaugural foray into producing "green" hydrogen, a natural-gas substitute free of carbon emissions. The company's hydrogen plant in Minneapolis, which uses renewable energy, is small — a foot in the water for CenterPoint. But it's a harbinger of a much-ballyhooed technology that could help battle climate change if it can overcome its challenges. The plant cost $2 million, an expense likely to be covered by ratepayers.
Xcel Energy also is moving ahead with a pilot hydrogen plant at its Prairie Island nuclear power plant. The company signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, which is paying $12 million for the project.