Alma Figueroa became concerned when she learned her natural gas supplier wanted to test a controversial solution to curb global warming: mixing hydrogen with natural gas to power her stove and other appliances. Figueroa, who has asthma and recently learned her lung cancer has returned, worries about the health risks.
“I don’t want to be anybody’s guinea pig,” said Figueroa, 60, a resident of Orange Bay in California’s Central Valley.
Southern California Gas hopes to blend and inject hydrogen into the town’s natural gas infrastructure after the state agency that regulates utilities directed Southern California Gas and other companies to launch pilot projects. Supporters argue that limiting reliance on natural gas while integrating clean energy into existing infrastructure is key to helping California reduce global-warming pollution. This is part of a statewide effort to develop safe rules for hydrogen mixing. But opponents say it creates unnecessary risks, and Orange Bay, whose residents are largely Latino and low-income residents, say the processes are being conducted without transparency or input from them. Projects in states such as Colorado and Oregon have also raised concerns.
Interest in deploying hydrogen boomed during the Biden administration but has been hit hard by the Trump administration’s cancellation of billions of dollars in hydrogen technology and other clean energy projects, including the $1.2 billion California Hydrogen Center project.
The Orange Cove project is one of five projects proposed in California to test how natural gas pipelines and their fueling equipment can withstand varying amounts of hydrogen. Hawaii has been integrating for decades.
What is hydrogen mixing?
Natural gas is primarily composed of methane, a potent planet-warming gas that contributes to extreme weather around the world, often disproportionately affecting low-income and communities of color.
Proponents see green hydrogen as a way to reduce emissions. It is made from renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power to power electrolysers that split water into oxygen and hydrogen, a carbon-free gas that can be used to generate electricity and supplement intermittent renewable energy sources. California Governor Gavin Newsom praised it as “an important aspect of how we power our future and reduce pollution.”
Some see Orange Cove’s proposed 18-month project as a step in that direction. Solar plants will power the technology and deliver the mixture – up to 5% hydrogen – to businesses and the town’s approximately 10,000 residents. The estimated $64.3 million project will be paid for with taxpayer dollars.
One Minneapolis utility estimates that blending up to 5% green hydrogen could reduce carbon pollution by about 1,200 tons per year, the equivalent of taking 254 gasoline-powered cars off the road.
Janice Lin of the Green Hydrogen Alliance said it was important to test mixes. She said the U.S. has a vast network of natural gas pipelines — some 3 million miles long, according to the Department of Energy — that could be used to transport clean hydrogen while reducing reliance on natural gas. If scaled up, it could be cost-competitive and help reduce pollution in industries that cannot be fully electrified.
“The way we move away from fossil fuels, to really clean our air and minimize our dependence on fossil fuels is to find viable alternatives,” she said.
Alejandra Hormaza, who teaches renewable energy at California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, said California needs to prove it can achieve convergence like other countries, but there are still unknowns. She said there was consensus that hydrogen at levels up to 20% by volume was safe, but “we need more experimental work using real natural gas infrastructure to fully understand the effects of hydrogen.”
In 2022, several natural gas companies jointly submitted applications for hydrogen blending. The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to make a decision this year.
How do project proposals come about?
SoCalGas first proposed testing the hydrogen blend at a UC Irvine facility located in an affluent neighborhood. But after protests, it scaled back the scale and revised its proposal. When Orange Bay leaders expressed interest, natural gas companies considered the city an ideal candidate — it had a variety of pipe materials, including steel and polyethylene (a type of plastic), and only one natural gas supply, giving them sufficient control over the mix.
Orange Bay city leaders voted unanimously in favor. They did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment. But at a public hearing in August, Mayor Diana Guerra Silva said the project would provide jobs for young people and boost tourist business, according to a transcript.
During the hearing, resident Angelica Martinez said the town could be a “pioneer” in hydrogen mixing and “deserves national recognition and attention for its willingness to implement such an innovative project.”
Orange Bay is a citrus-growing town populated primarily by Spanish-speaking Latino immigrants, where 39 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the most polluted area in Fresno County with the highest rates of asthma.
Figueroa said the community has historically not been involved in city politics, although they launched a petition opposing the project and raised concerns at public meetings. “I think the only reason they wanted Orange Bay was because they didn’t think there would be resistance,” she said. Some residents said they have asked city officials to hold a town hall meeting about the pilot, but it has not yet taken place.
What do residents care about?
Research shows that burning hydrogen-laced gas in older appliances that were not specifically designed to do so can increase emissions of nitrogen oxides, pollutants that can exacerbate asthma and be linked to other respiratory problems. It can cause certain materials to deteriorate and leak more easily, increasing the risk of explosions because hydrogen is more flammable.
Ryan Sinclair, an environmental microbiologist at Loma Linda University, says homes with older appliances are more susceptible to these risks—a 5 percent mix in older infrastructure can increase nitrogen oxide emissions by an average of 8 percent. Residents can’t opt out unless they replace their gas appliances with electric ones, and Sinclair worries that low-income residents in Orange Bay won’t be able to afford to replace or maintain older appliances. He said more health risk assessments were needed before hydrogen blending could begin.
Caltech’s Holmaza, who has been studying hydrogen leaks in gas systems for the past decade, said not enough research has been done on whether hydrogen increases leaks.
There are also concerns that hydrogen could contribute to global warming. Research shows hydrogen can heat the Earth indirectly by interacting with other gases.
Environmental groups say hydrogen can only be used in high-energy industries such as aviation, cement or steelmaking that are not easily electrified. Others say, for example, that electrical equipment is a more effective way to reduce emissions.
“To me, it’s just a ridiculous project. It’s a stupid project” that puts residents at unnecessary risk, said Michael Claiborne, a guiding attorney for Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, an advocacy group representing residents.
Southern California Gas said if the projects are approved, it will implement safety measures before, during and after the projects, including leak investigation and detection technology, backflow prevention to keep the hydrogen within a controlled area, and emergency response measures in place.
Orange Bay resident Francisco Gonzalez has friends with asthma and siblings with respiratory illnesses, so he worries about the health risks. He said his community is not opposed to change or clean energy, “but we object to being left out of the conversation.”
___
Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott contributed to this report in Providence, Rhode Island.
___
The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The Associated Press is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environment coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
