GE and Cricket Valley Energy Centre have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to develop a green hydrogen technology roadmap and advance a demonstration project to reduce carbon emissions at CVEC’s combined cycle power plant located in Dover Plains, New York state. This is seen as the first step toward conversion to a 100 % hydrogen fuel capable plant. The project is planned to begin in late 2022.
The initial stage will be aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of converting the natural gas-fuelled facility to utilise hydrogen, in support of New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which mandates 100 % zero-carbon emissions in the electricity sector by 2040. The project will be conducted on one of three GE 7F.05 gas turbines currently operating at CVEC by introducing 5 % hydrogen mix with natural gas for several weeks, to make use of GE’s expertise with combustion technology using hydrogen and low-BTU fuels.
The agreement is intended to expand to include leading hydrogen providers, along with consultation from New York State and federal agencies to develop policy guidance related to the production, transport, delivery, and storage of hydrogen. The H2 Roadmap will serve as a research and development plan for technical changes necessary to increase the percentages of hydrogen utilisation at the plant as it becomes more readily available, while adhering to applicable operational guidelines.
