CALIFORNIA – While Orange Cove residents wait for the California Public Utilities Commission to make a decision on the future of the proposed hydrogen blending project in their city, the Southern California Gas Company has filed a request with the CPUC that may put an end to the project altogether.
SoCalGas, alongside San Diego Gas and Electric Company and Southwest Gas Corporation, announced on Feb. 4 that the three utilities submitted a petition to the CPUC on Feb. 3 that asks to modify the requirement for the utilities to conduct certain hydrogen blending demonstration projects.
The petition claims that research made available since the initial decision has already demonstrated that hydrogen blends below 5% are safe and the utilities should focus their projects on blends ranging from 5%-20%.
“Building off what we’ve learned collectively over the past few years, the CPUC has an opportunity to save ratepayers both money and time as we work to help California scale hydrogen production and decrease carbon emissions,” Amy Kitson, SoCalGas Vice President of Gas Engineering and System Integrity, said in a press release.
The petition is specifically requesting a modification to a decision the CPUC issued in 2022 that directs the state’s investor-owned utilities to conduct varying hydrogen blending demonstration projects as a way to develop a statewide injection standard.
Hydrogen blending, the process of adding hydrogen gas to the natural gas blend already in place, has been identified by the state and the utilities as a way to reduce carbon emissions. To determine how much hydrogen gas utilities can safely add to their existing infrastructure, the CPUC first wants the utilities to conduct real-world demonstration projects blending different amounts of gas.
In the press release, SoCalGas said that in addition to lab research conducted on hydrogen blending, utilities in the United States and globally have “already demonstrated that blending up to 5% hydrogen into existing natural gas systems can be done safely, reliably and without modifying customer appliances.”
Considering the Orange Cove project would only blend hydrogen gas up to 5%, the project would not be necessary if the CPUC approves the petition request. For now, SoCalGas is still moving forward with its plans for Orange Cove as it waits for a decision from the CPUC.
If the CPUC approves the petition request, that does not mean that hydrogen blending of up to 5% would immediately be allowed, as the utilities would still follow through with other demonstration projects as required.
Orange Cove residents have been vocal in their opposition to the project over the last two years, and the city and SoCalGas are currently working to schedule another meeting or public forum to continue to discuss the issue.
