Modeling the Future of Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide Infrastructure: Webinar by GTI Energy and Carbon Solutions: September 23. 2025: Summary & Review

        This short webinar explored an H2 and CO2 infrastructure buildout scenario for the Appalachian region as the ARCH2 energy hub. It involves regional planning, supply chain modeling, and infrastructure co-optimization. The modeling framework, the area of interest, and data gathering are shown below.

     The Appalachian region’s iron and steel industry can utilize hydrogen. There is a regional abundance of capturable CO2 sources. Salt cavern storage for H2 was modeled. H2 sources modeled include blue and green H2, but since green H2 is so expensive compared to the region’s potential for blue H2, it is thought that blue H2 will predominate.

     The modeling revealed that the project will require up to 6000km of new pipelines by 2050. They note that while that may seem like a lot, it is consistent with rates of natural gas pipeline buildout. These are new pipelines for H2 and CO2. Repurposed natural gas pipelines, where some H2 could be blended with natural gas, however, were not modeled in this analysis, but could be in the future. New pipelines would likely largely follow existing gas pipeline rights-of-way. CO2 storage was modeled in depleted gas reservoirs and in deep saline reservoirs. A wildcard is public opposition to pipelines.

     They compare their models to those of the Low Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI), noting that LCRI modeled more green H2 than they did. The authors came up with four possible scenarios that are very different depending on different input costs, such as the cost of producing H2.  

Q&A

H2 storage modeling? They considered depleted reservoirs. They identified 23 possible sites and connected all producers and consumers to the storage sites.

CO2 Assets? Used existing data.  H2- blue, used planned facilities, no green H2 planned, used areas w/abundant water

H2 pipeline blending?  It is doable – retrofitting that is, they did not model here, but could in the future.  

CO2 and H2 storage sites – CO2 – western Ohio (saline-Mt. Simon Sandstone?) and western side vs. H2 mainly in the central hub area.