Hydrogen Co-firing and the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Limits for Power Plants

The document examines the EPA's proposed use of hydrogen co-firing to set CO2 emission limits for fossil fuel-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act. It warns that unless the hydrogen used is 'low-GHG', the process could increase total emissions, as common production methods like steam methane reforming or fossil-fuel-powered electrolysis release significant greenhouse gases.

• The EPA's proposed rule for certain natural gas-fired turbines bases emission limits on the reductions achievable through hydrogen co-firing, which involves burning a blend of natural gas and hydrogen.
• Hydrogen production can lead to high greenhouse gas emissions depending on the method: steam methane reforming releases substantial CO2, and electrolysis can produce twice the emissions of steam methane reforming if the electricity used is generated from burning natural gas.
• Co-firing hydrogen produced with high GHG emissions at combustion turbines could result in higher overall greenhouse gas emissions than burning natural gas alone, potentially exacerbating climate change.

APA

Lifson, D. A. M. (2024). Hydrogen Co-firing and the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Limits for Power Plants. Institute for Policy Integrity. https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/hydrogen-co-firing-and-the-epas-greenhouse-gas-limits-for-power-plants

Chicago

Lifson, Dena Adler, Matthew. Hydrogen Co-firing and the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Limits for Power Plants. Institute for Policy Integrity, 2024. https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/hydrogen-co-firing-and-the-epas-greenhouse-gas-limits-for-power-plants.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lifson |first1=Dena Adler, Matthew |title=Hydrogen Co-firing and the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Limits for Power Plants |publisher=Institute for Policy Integrity |date=28 March 2024 |url=https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/hydrogen-co-firing-and-the-epas-greenhouse-gas-limits-for-power-plants |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lifson2024hydrogen, author = {Lifson, Dena Adler, Matthew}, title = {{Hydrogen Co-firing and the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Limits for Power Plants}}, institution = {Institute for Policy Integrity}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://policyintegrity.org/publications/detail/hydrogen-co-firing-and-the-epas-greenhouse-gas-limits-for-power-plants}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }