Case Study – Storing Green Hydrogen to Safeguard Energy Security

The Mississippi Clean Hydrogen Hub (MCHH) aims to leverage natural salt domes for large-scale, long-duration green hydrogen storage to safeguard energy security. Domestically, the hub is positioned to supply critical sectors in the Gulf Coast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic, potentially serving 52% of US refining, 44% of shipping, 19% of steelmaking, and 17% of heavy-duty trucking capacity. It also seeks to bolster US fertilizer security by transporting green hydrogen feedstock via the Mississippi River to the Midwest. Internationally, the MCHH intends to establish green shipping corridors to help the EU diversify away from Russian fossil fuels and provide backup energy to climate-vulnerable nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report argues that an initial public investment of $500 million could unlock billions in private capital by 2026, creating a national strategic hydrogen reserve and reducing industrial losses from power outages.

• The Mississippi Clean Hydrogen Hub (MCHH) is strategically located to provide green hydrogen to a significant portion of US industrial capacity, including 52% of refining, 44% of shipping, 19% of steelmaking, and 17% of heavy-duty trucking across the Gulf Coast.
• By utilizing the Mississippi River to transport green hydrogen feedstock to the Midwest, the MCHH can expand domestic green fertilizer production and reduce US reliance on volatile international agri-nutrient markets.
• The MCHH can serve as a national strategic hydrogen reserve for the US and its partners, utilizing salt cavern storage to provide flexible, rapid deployment of fuel to priority sectors during outages or scarcity.
• The hub intends to support the EU's goal of importing 10 million tons of green hydrogen by 2030 to permanently replace Russian fossil fuels, specifically targeting industrial clusters in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
• In Latin America and the Caribbean, the MCHH can provide green hydrogen to replace diesel in microgrid generators for critical facilities and as a secure fuel for delivery vessels, with priority markets including Costa Rica, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
• Public funding of $500 million, such as through the US Department of Energy’s Clean Hydrogen Hub program, could catalyze billions in private investment by 2026 for renewables, electrolyzers, and critical infrastructure.
• The MCHH could mitigate significant economic losses for US industry by providing backup energy to plants that otherwise lose an estimated $5 million per day during power outages.

APA

RMI (2023). Case Study – Storing Green Hydrogen to Safeguard Energy Security. https://rmi.org/resources/case-study-storing-green-hydrogen-to-safeguard-energy-security/

Chicago

RMI. Case Study – Storing Green Hydrogen to Safeguard Energy Security. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/case-study-storing-green-hydrogen-to-safeguard-energy-security/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Case Study – Storing Green Hydrogen to Safeguard Energy Security |date=18 September 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/case-study-storing-green-hydrogen-to-safeguard-energy-security/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023case, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Case Study – Storing Green Hydrogen to Safeguard Energy Security}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/case-study-storing-green-hydrogen-to-safeguard-energy-security/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }