Georgia Power announced Monday it successfully burned a 50-50 blend of hydrogen and natural gas at one of its power plants near Atlanta, in what the company says is the “largest test of this kind in the world to date.”
The utility and others in the power industry view hydrogen as a fuel that could potentially help reduce heat-trapping emissions from electricity generation and other sectors. But hydrogen’s environmental benefits depend largely on how it is produced, and questions remain about its feasibility as a fuel and climate change solution.
The experiment took place in one of the existing combustion turbines at Plant McDonough-Atkinson, a Georgia Power gas facility 10 miles from downtown Atlanta on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. It was conducted in partnership with Mitsubishi Power, the manufacturer of McDonough’s gas-burning power units.
Georgia Power said the mix of hydrogen and natural gas reduced greenhouse gas emissions from the unit by 22%, compared with burning pure natural gas.
The successful firing with 50% hydrogen was one of a battery of tests the companies said were conducted over several weeks in May and June using different blends of hydrogen and gas. Georgia Power said the test was enabled by upgrades to the unit, which the company said would allow for “faster startup times … and decreased maintenance expenses.” The utility said it would not disclose the cost of the upgrades.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
The trial follows earlier hydrogen experiments at Plant McDonough. In 2022, Georgia Power successfully burned a blend of 20% hydrogen and 80% natural gas. At the time, the utility touted it as the first test of its kind on an advanced commercial gas turbine.
Rick Anderson, a senior vice president and senior production officer at Georgia Power, said these tests “help ensure we can deliver reliable and affordable energy for customers for decades into the future, and reduce our overall emissions.”
“Investments we’re making in our fleet and power grid today will benefit future generations, and I’m very proud of the team at Plant McDonough-Atkinson and Mitsubishi Power for their dedication to this project and safely completing this test,” he said in a statement.
Mark Bissonnette, executive vice president and COO for power generation at Mitsubishi Power Americas, called it a “significant milestone for both companies to help Georgia Power reduce carbon emissions across its generation fleet.”
Hydrogen has been hyped for years as a key tool for fighting climate change that could help trucking and other hard-to-decarbonize parts of the global economy — like cement and steel manufacturing, and aviation — wean off fossil fuels.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but it rarely exists on its own on Earth. To be used as a fuel, it must be isolated from other molecules that contain it. But exactly how the element is separated determines how clean the hydrogen really is.
“Green” hydrogen is produced using renewable energy, but almost all of the hydrogen produced today is derived from natural gas. That process requires lots of energy and still results in emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, an ultra-potent greenhouse gas. Georgia Power said the hydrogen used for its test was mostly produced from “green” sources.
Cost is also a major barrier to hydrogen’s feasibility as a fuel source.
President Joe Biden had made it a priority to increase hydrogen production and reduce its cost, but those efforts are now on shaky ground under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump’s Department of Energy has already nixed hundreds of millions of dollars in grants awarded to projects across the country, including some involving hydrogen. Tax credits for clean hydrogen production created by Biden’s signature law, the Inflation Reduction Act, could also be on the chopping block, as congressional Republicans seek to pass Trump’s tax cuts and other priorities through budget reconciliation.
A NOTE OF DISCLOSURE
This coverage is supported by a partnership with Green South Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. You can learn more and support our climate reporting by donating at ajc.com/donate/climate.
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