Case Study – Storing Green Hydrogen to Safeguard Energy Security

This case study by RMI examines the Mississippi Clean Hydrogen Hub (MCHH), developed in collaboration with Hy Stor Energy, to demonstrate how large-scale geological storage of green hydrogen can enhance energy security and resiliency for the United States and its international partners. The document details how the MCHH can provide a secure, zero-carbon energy supply to critical industrial sectors, reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets and imported commodities, and support strategic trade partners in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

• The Mississippi Clean Hydrogen Hub (MCHH) leverages natural salt domes for long-duration geological storage, allowing it to flexibly and rapidly deploy green hydrogen to priority sectors to mitigate risks from fuel cost increases and power outages.
• The MCHH is strategically positioned to serve a significant portion of US industrial capacity; it can potentially provide backup fuel and feedstock to 52% of US refining, 44% of US shipping, 19% of US steelmaking, and 17% of US heavy-duty trucking capacity across the Gulf Coast and Southeast.
• The hub can enhance US agricultural security by transporting green hydrogen feedstock via the Mississippi River to the Midwest, supporting domestic green fertilizer production and reducing reliance on volatile international agri-nutrient markets.
• By providing a secure zero-carbon energy supply, the MCHH can attract new domestic manufacturing for steel and plastics to the Gulf Coast, reducing US dependence on imported commodities and preventing new plants from becoming stranded assets.
• The MCHH aims to support the European Union's goal of diversifying energy imports and permanently moving away from Russian fossil fuels by establishing a green shipping corridor between the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the North Sea, specifically targeting industrial clusters in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
• The hub can provide energy resilience to island and coastal nations in Latin America and the Caribbean by supplying green hydrogen to replace diesel in microgrid generators and as a secure fuel for delivery vessels.
• Public funding, such as a $500 million infusion from the US Department of Energy's Clean Hydrogen Hub program, could unlock billions in private investment by 2026 for renewables, electrolyzers, and critical infrastructure in the Gulf region.
• The MCHH could prevent significant economic losses for US industry; by supplying up to 90 plants a day with green hydrogen to avoid emergency shutoffs, it could save hundreds of millions of dollars, given that plants can lose approximately $5 million per day during energy scarcity.

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} }