HyBuild™ Carolinas is hoped to engage participation across the green hydrogen ecosystem in a platform through convening and analytical studies, to co-develop a regional vision and roadmap for accelerating the role of green hydrogen in the region.

H2 View understands, in the short-term HyBuild Carolinas will undertake analysis to understand green hydrogen demand and enabling infrastructure scenarios to establish a vision for achieving mass-scale, low-cost green hydrogen in the Carolinas to drive forward the energy transition.

GHC has said in the future the initiative will focus on maximising a community value proposition for green hydrogen in the region by quantifying community benefits from a green hydrogen economy, such as pollution reduction, economic development, and job creation.

The likes of American Airlines, Nucor Corporation, AFL-CIO, Duke Energy, Williams, and Siemens Energy North America are set to support the initiative in the Carolinas, which is hoped to create the foundation for faster progress, while helping to inform any regional hydrogen hub funding applications.

Read more: US DOE opens applications for $7bn hydrogen hub funding programme and unveils draft hydrogen strategy

Janice Lin, founder and President of the GHC, said, “The GHC is thrilled to engage more deeply in the Carolinas, which has all of the necessary ingredients to drive a successful green hydrogen economy.

“The Carolinas feature at-scale prospective uses for green hydrogen, forward-thinking leaders who are committed to making rapid progress, and access to enabling infrastructure across the value chain.

“With a growing energy crisis in Europe, North and South Carolina are well-positioned to provide green hydrogen that will drive the global clean energy transition.”

Commenting on the company’s role in the initiative, Rich Voorberg, President of Siemens Energy North America, said, “Collaboration between willing partners across the globe will be the key to delivering clean hydrogen solutions that will not only be reliable, but also make economic sense within our energy infrastructure.

“We will need to consistently expand renewable energy sources and increase sector coupling, meaning the integration of renewables with Power-to-X solutions using green hydrogen. Siemens Energy is proud to support HyBuild Carolinas to help lead the development of the hydrogen economy in the Carolinas and across the US.”

Jill Blickstein, Vice-President of Sustainability at American Airlines, added, “As the largest airline in the Carolinas, we’re proud to support HyBuild Carolinas, which will play a critical role in accelerating the development of green hydrogen in one of our most important markets.

“Decarbonising air travel requires a collaborative approach across all sectors of the economy, and the Green Hydrogen Coalition is helping to lead the way in North Carolina and South Carolina.”