Speaking Sustainability

Wind energy projects along the coasts are facing uncertainty due to President Trump’s Presidential Memorandum¹ issued on January 20, “Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects.” This Memorandum introduces substantial policy changes that impact both onshore and offshore wind development.

On July 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Development (OCED) announced a Request for Information to inform the DOE’s efforts to design a demand-side support mechanism for its Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program (H2Hubs). Information obtained through this process will support a future Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) entitled “Implementing Entity (or Entities) for Demand-side Support Mechanism for Clean Hydrogen Hub Projects” that the DOE expects to issue later this summer/early fall. The DOE ultimately intends to commit up to $1 billion to fund entities implementing a demand-side support mechanism to “facilitate bankable clean hydrogen demand” for the H2Hubs to “enable private sector financing and expedite progress to Final Investment Decision for H2Hubs.” This follows the $6-7 billion commitment the DOE initially announced in 2022 for the H2Hubs.