Ivory said the majority of potential future contracts for the PUD’s hydrogen fuel will likely include the steel and ammonia industries. The plant is currently designed to produce two tons of hydrogen a day. The PUD recently bought an extra 90 acres next to the plant’s 40-acre site to prepare for future expansion if needed. “We don’t have any contracts in place, but we have a lot of interest,” he said.
Some of the PUD’s hydrogen is intended for hydrogen-fueled vehicles, Ivory added.
Right now, Washington is in a “chicken-or-egg” situation with hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Hydrogen cars need fueling stations to justify their purchases, and the fueling stations need hydrogen vehicles to justify their installation. There are no known hydrogen-fueled cars in the state, and there only two Washington hydrogen-fueling stations — in Chehalis and East Wenatchee — in the…