BNSF Railway is one of North America’s leading freight transportation companies, with a rail network of 32,500 route miles in 28 states and three Canadian provinces.

In collaboration with the States of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Montana, Bakken Energy is working on the design of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, a regional clean hydrogen hub competing to obtain federal funding through the Department of Energy’s $7bn Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program announced on September 22, 2022 as part of the larger $8bn hydrogen hub program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The foundation of the industry-led Hub is Bakken Energy’s large scale affordable clean hydrogen production using natural gas that would otherwise be flared, including carbon capture and sequestration.

Steve Lebow, Bakken Energy Founder and Chairman, said, “Railways could play a critical role in distributing our clean hydrogen production, and could also be consumers as trains transition from diesel. BNSF is the ideal partner to work out the role of railways in our Heartland Hydrogen Hub.”

Mike Hopkins, CEO of Bakken Energy, said the goal of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub is all about making clean hydrogen abundant and affordable.

He said, “Part of the equation is production, but the other part is distribution and that’s where BNSF will be invaluable. Being able to transport our hydrogen by rail would dramatically reduce our distribution costs and therefore the cost to consumers.”

John Lovenburg, VP of Environment and Sustainability at BNSF, said, “We see our work with Bakken Energy and the Heartland Hydrogen Hub as part of our commitment to a more sustainable energy and transportation system, including exploring the role railways can play in a hydrogen economy.”