Constellation Sets Industry Record for Blending Hydrogen With Natural Gas to Further Reduce Emissions
May 24 2023 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
Test confirms hydrogen’s potential to meet
nation’s climate goals by reducing carbon emissions from existing
natural gas-fired power plants
Constellation, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free
energy, has set an industry record for blending high concentrations
of hydrogen with natural gas, further proof that hydrogen can be an
effective tool to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Working with Siemens Energy and EPRI, the hydrogen blending test
was conducted at Constellation’s Hillabee Generating Station, a
753-megawatt combined-cycle natural gas plant in central Alabama
that began operating in 2010. The test showed that with only minor
modifications, an existing natural gas plant of that age can safely
operate on a blend of 38 percent hydrogen, nearly doubling the
previous blending record for similar generators. The blending test
occurred May 18 at Hillabee on a Siemens Energy SGT6-6000G gas
turbine.
The Environmental Protection Agency recently released new
guidelines aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the electric
sector, citing hydrogen blending as a primary technology to help
achieve the nation’s climate goals. The testing results at Hillabee
demonstrate that hydrogen produced with clean energy can be an
effective tool in meeting the agency’s goal.
“This test proved what we’ve suspected for years -- that
blending clean hydrogen with natural gas can safely reduce
emissions without major modifications to an existing plant that’s
well over a decade old,” said Joe Dominguez, president and CEO of
Constellation. “As the EPA and numerous climate experts have
acknowledged, the availability of affordable clean hydrogen at
scale will be essential if we are going to prevent the ravaging
effects of climate change.”
A 38 percent blend rate would reduce Hillabee’s carbon emissions
by approximately 270,000 metric tons annually, the equivalent of
taking more than 60,000 passenger cars off the road, based on EPA
data. Experts from Siemens Energy and EPRI collaborated with
Constellation on the fuel blending tests.
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions did not increase during this
blending test, confirming there was no negative impact to local air
quality.
“Siemens Energy is committed to reducing emissions from electric
generation as we grow and diversify our energy mix to meet rising
demand reliably, affordably and safely. We set an ambitious target
to have all our new gas turbines capable of burning 100% hydrogen
by 2030 and this demonstration shows that we are well on our way.
Hydrogen is a growing part of the portfolio of technology solutions
that we offer our customers,” said Rich Voorberg, President of
Siemens Energy for North America.
“This project represents an important step in assessing the
technical viability of hydrogen power generation,” said Neva
Espinoza, EPRI’s vice president of Energy Supply and Low-Carbon
Resources. “The ability to one day deploy hydrogen generation more
broadly will rest on continued, collaborative R&D spanning
hydrogen production, infrastructure development, and power
generation applications.”
Constellation produces nearly 90 percent of its energy from
carbon-free sources and has a goal of achieving 100 percent
carbon-free electricity generation and a 100% reduction in
operational emissions by 2040. The company will use the results
from this test to inform its plans for transitioning its natural
gas facilities to carbon-free technology in the coming years.
About Constellation
Headquartered in Baltimore, Constellation Energy Corporation
(Nasdaq: CEG) is the nation’s largest producer of clean,
carbon-free energy and a leading supplier of energy products and
services to businesses, homes, community aggregations and public
sector customers across the continental United States, including
three fourths of Fortune 100 companies. With annual output that is
nearly 90% carbon-free, our hydro, wind and solar facilities paired
with the nation’s largest nuclear fleet have the generating
capacity to power the equivalent of 15 million homes, providing
around 10% of the nation’s clean energy. We are further
accelerating the nation’s transition to a carbon-free future by
helping our customers reach their sustainability goals, setting our
own ambitious goal of achieving 100% carbon-free generation by
2040, and by investing in promising emerging technologies to
eliminate carbon emissions across all sectors of the economy.
Follow Constellation on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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Paul Adams Constellation Communications 410-470-9700
paul.adams@constellation.com
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