TARGE TED INDUSTRIES
Utah
Green Energy Hub of the West Millard County is home to what could become the West’s new energy hub, thanks to a reconfiguration of the state’s largest coal-fired power plant. By 2025, the Intermountain Generation Station in Millard will be decommissioned as a coalfueled power plant. New natural gas-fueled generating units will come online with green hydrogen as part of the fuel mix. Initially, 30% of the overall energy output will come from green hydrogen, expanding to 100% by 2045 as technology evolves. “Many coal communities around the country are struggling with the closure of power plants,” said John Ward, spokesman for the Intermountain Power Agency, the owner of the entire project, known as the Intermountain Power Project (IPP). “IPA, and the other project participants, have diligently worked to develop new energy projects
that can build on the substantial infrastructure already in place at IPP, including land, regional transmission systems, rail, highway, and a highly-skilled energy workforce.” Green hydrogen is made using machines called electrolyzers, which have been around for centuries. During a process known as electrolysis, water is broken into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen is released into the atmosphere, and the hydrogen is captured. As long as the electricity to power the machines comes from a renewable source such as wind or solar, the process results in zero greenhouse gases, unlike other forms of hydrogen production that release carbon dioxide into the air.
BUSINESS IN UTAH | 2021
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