Bakken Energy Announces Partnership With BNSF Railway
Bakken Energy, a creative company that makes affordable clean hydrogen, and BNSF Railway signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on the design of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, especially the role of railroads as buyers and transporters of clean hydrogen.
With a rail network of 32,500 route miles in 28 states and three Canadian provinces, BNSF Railway is one of North America's biggest freight transportation companies. It is a leading carrier of goods and commodities that help feed, clothe, supply, and power communities throughout the US and around the world.
Bakken Energy is working on the design of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub with the states of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Montana. The Heartland Hydrogen Hub is a regional clean hydrogen hub that is competing for federal funding through the Department of Energy's $7 billion Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs programme, which was announced on September 22, 2022, as part of the larger $8 billion hydrogen hub programme funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The foundation of the industry-led Hub is Bakken Energy’s large-scale, affordable clean hydrogen production using natural gas that would otherwise be flared, including carbon capture and sequestration.
“It is a privilege to be partnered with BNSF” said Bakken Energy Founder and Chairman Steve Lebow. “Railways could play a critical role in distributing our clean hydrogen production and could also be consumers as trains transition from diesel. BNSF is the ideal partner to work out the role of railways in our Heartland Hydrogen Hub.”
“For Bakken Energy, and our Heartland Hydrogen Hub, it is all about making clean hydrogen abundant and affordable” said Bakken Energy CEO Mike Hopkins. “Part of the equation is production, but the other part is distribution and that’s where BNSF will be invaluable. Being able to transport our hydrogen by rail would dramatically reduce our distribution costs and therefore the cost to consumers.”
“We see our work with Bakken Energy and the Heartland Hydrogen Hub as part of our commitment to a more sustainable energy and transportation system, including exploring the role railways can play in a hydrogen economy” said John Lovenburg, VP of Environment and Sustainability at BNSF.
Source: Business Wire
