"Chesapeake Utilities is an essential partner of the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub," said Collin O'Mara, Board Chair of the MACH2™. "We look forward to working collaboratively with our partners on projects to produce and deploy green hydrogen that will advance both our environmental and economic goals and further position our region as a national leader in the clean energy economy."
"We are honoured to be an active member of the MACH2™ partnership, which will channel substantial resources into our region for advancing hydrogen projects. Being an active and engaged partner in MACH2™ underscores our unwavering dedication to the local communities and customers that we serve, as we actively work to advance affordable and realistic environmentally responsible solutions that further reduce carbon emissions," said Shane Breakie, Vice President, Sustainability and Organic Growth, Chesapeake Utilities.
MACH2™, which is a collaborative effort comprised of industrial, governmental and educational institutions representing Delaware, southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania, was selected to receive up to US$750 million in funding from the DOE's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. The hub's focus will encompass the hydrogen value stream from production to end use through four main areas: training, infrastructure, reducing emissions and job creation.
Chesapeake Utilities' role within MACH2™ will touch all four areas of investment and growth. As a hydrogen innovator, Chesapeake Utilities has proposed to potentially produce hydrogen and deliver it to the transportation sector, further advancing the company's commitment to help customers to reduce emissions by providing lower-carbon alternative fuel options, such as compressed natural gas/renewable natural gas, propane autogas and now hydrogen. With its Safety Town facility in Dover, the company also will play a key role in safety and workforce training.
The abundance of existing infrastructure and ready access to feedstock resources in the Mid-Atlantic region will reduce overall hydrogen delivery costs, giving MACH2™ a clear advantage and an opportunity to further attract investments in new demand segments and hub regions. Furthermore, given the high concentration of hard-to-decarbonise industries within the region, MACH2™ envisions growth potential for hydrogen both in supply and demand.