South Texas has always played a critical role in supporting our state’s economy and our critical energy production and transportation capabilities. Now, the recent announcement that Green Hydrogen International is planning to develop the world’s largest green hydrogen production and storage hub in Texas, it will help us continue to create a stronger, more sustainable, and truly 21st-century economy.
This exciting new development will show the world that South Texas is not just an energy leader, but that we can also help lead the transition to cleaner forms of energy. Not only will the planned green hydrogen hub—called Hydrogen City, Texas—increase our commitment to protecting and preserving our precious natural resources, but it will also help boost economic development throughout the Rio Grande Valley, and across the coastal bend region.
Once complete, Hydrogen City will serve the whole value chain of clean hydrogen, eventually producing, storing, and transporting more than 2.5 lion kilograms of green hydrogen per year, greatly expanding our state’s clean energy capabilities. Powered by solar and wind energy, both of which are abundant in the region, the project will aim to build out a hydrogen storage facility in the Piedras Pintas Salt Dome in Duval County.
From there, a network of pipelines will transport clean hydrogen to Corpus Christi and Brownsville—where it will be used to make green ammonia, sustainable aviation fuel, rocket fuel for Space X, and a range of other products—or to other hydrogen plants and users throughout Texas. In doing so, it will also play a major role in supporting local economies, spurring innovation in clean energy development, and strengthening our state’s energy independence.
All of this increased development in our region will also help support and grow our clean energy workforce in Brownsville and throughout the Rio Grande Valley, creating jobs for hardworking Texans during the construction phase as well as full-time jb nce production is up and running. Moreover, by developing this emerging clean energy resource, Texas will be a more attractive place for investors, industries, and new businesses in the clean energy economy.
This project will also better position South Texas as a future home to one of the six to 10 yet-to-be-determined green hydrogen hubs that will be built using federal funding made possible through the bipartisan infrastructure law Congress passed in late 2021. That law provided up to $7 billion for the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program to spur the development of this clean energy resource.
With groundbreaking on Hydrogen City set for 2026, we are both excited that our region will soon be home to what will be the largest green hydrogen hub in the world. This emerging clean energy source is a natural next step in our region’s proud history of energy leadership. Its success will help us continue to support an all-of-the-above approach to energy in our state while supportingcrtial carbon reduction efforts in order to protect our natural resources and mitigate the impact of climate change.
Hydrogen City—and the development of green hydrogen in general—will be a game-changer for Texas’ energy landscape and local economies throughout the Rio Grande Valley. It is our hope that this project moves forward as quickly and efficiently as possible. In order to do that, our elected officials in Washington, including Senator John Cornyn, should continue to support smart, market-based clean energy solutions that will help us build a cleaner, more prosperous future for Texans and all Americans.
Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Daniel Silva, president and CEO of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. The column appears in The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service with the permission of the author. Silva can be reached by email via: daniel@rgvpartnership.com.