<article><p class="lead">The US Department of Energy (DOE) today proposed its Clean Hydrogen Production Standard, doubling the expected maximum carbon intensity for hydrogen to be considered "clean".</p><p>The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) required the standard to define "clean hydrogen" as hydrogen produced with a carbon intensity of 2kg of less of carbon dioxide per kilogram of hydrogen — but the proposal released today doubles the allowable carbon intensity to a limit of 4kg of carbon dioxide per kilogram of hydrogen.</p><p>Rather than adhering to the IIJA's specifications, the proposed standard mirrors the 4kg carbon threshold of the hydrogen production tax credit (PTC) from the <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2359430">recent Inflation Reduction Act</a>. The change could allow the DOE to fund more diverse production technologies, including generation from biomass and fossil fuels, to achieve economies of scale, according to the draft.</p><p>As it is not a regulatory standard, the new definition only serves to guide the DOE's funding programs — but funded projects do not necessarily have to meet the standard. Instead, a project can be selected on the basis that it can "demonstrably aid the achievement" of the standard, according to the IIJA.</p><p>The proposal solicits feedback from stakeholders by the end of this October, which the DOE will use to finalize its guidance — meaning the standard is still subject to change. The Secretary of Energy will have five years from the publishing of the standard to decide whether the threshold should be lowered.</p><p class="bylines">By Emmeline Willey</p></article>
