Hydrogen project recommended for approval

Bair Energy tours northern Carbon County, appears before county P&Z

Nicholas Bair, CEO of Clean Energy Holdings and Bair Energy, spent this past weekend speaking with many residents of northern Carbon County.Friday, Bair went to Hanna where he met with Mayor Lois Buchanan, Public Works Director Larry Korkow, Water Work Director David Sutter and others. Joining Bair in Hanna were Tyler Boswell, the project's safety director. When Bair went to a packed house town hall in Elk Mountain on Sunday, he was joined by Boswell as well as Candice McGuire, Board Chair of Bair Energy; Jesse Black and Jorge Lopez, Seimens Energy; and Cornelious (Con) Fitzgerald, Bair Energy's Chief Financial Officer and President of Clean Energy Holdings. Many in the audience on Sunday were not just from Elk Mountain, but Hanna and Medicine Bow as well.At both meetings, Bair and his group of advisors explained the Simpson Ridge Green Hydrogen Project. The project is proposed to be located east of Elk Mountain, at exit 260 and Interstate 80, on the west side of Carbon County Road 3. The term green hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced from water via electrolysis using renewable energy sources.The project is currently looking for a water source. After speaking with the Town of Hanna, which sells their water to wind projects and construction companies, the town's non-potable water may be an option for the hydrogen plant.

Black said he and Lopez were at the meeting to answer questions about hydrogen technology.

"We are here to advise in case anybody had questions about hydrogen production and safety," Black said. 

Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.

According to their application for a conditional use permit (CUP) for the project, the project site will include up to four electrolyzers and utilize a maximum of 100 gallons per minute during maximum production potential. The electrolyzers are expected to use less than 50 gallons per minute on average. The project will contain hydrogen liquefaction units, and a storage tank for liquid oxygen and hydrogen. The maximum storage capacity of liquid oxygen will be 145,000 gallons. Hydrogen storage will be above ground. 

The project will produce approximately 15,000 kilograms a day with a potential of 36,000 kilograms a day of green hydrogen.  The maximum production would be a potential of 288,000 kilograms a day. The project will also contain a five bay truck loading installation. It is estimated 40 trucks will come each day for hydrogen with 15 trucks each day for liquefied oxygen transport. A parking lot will allow for a minimum 10 trucks and trailers at any given time.The meeting on Sunday lasted a little over two hours and the audience had questions about the location of the project and why it was picked. Bair explained the exhaustive search the company had, going over 75 sites in the country before deciding the Simpson Ridge was the best location suited for their project. The audience asked questions about how the project would get its water and electricity. Bair explained several options being considered on both. Safety questions were vetted to Boswell and Lopez. Engineering questions were taken by several members of the group before the audience.

"We are here to work with the communities," Bair said in closing. "When I was here back in March at your town council meeting, I told you if I didn't know the answer, I would come back to you. This is what I have tried to do tonight and (answer) the questions you had tonight. If we didn't answer them, we will be back to answer them."

On April 4, the same group which spoke in Elk Mountain went before the Carbon County Planning and Zoning Commission. The commissioners present were Joan McGraw, Jay Grabow and Chairman Richard Wilson. Commissioners Diana Berger and Oliver Wille were absent.

Planning Director Sarah Brugger read the application for the CUP. Brugger noted a letter from Joyce and Francis Menke expressing their concerns and Brugger included a petition with 44 signatures, the majority of whom were Elk Mountain residents against the project. Brugger then went over different department reports from the state and what eachwanted clarified from the project. She also noted planning and zoning staff felt there were areas of the application which could use more clarification.

"With this application we have identified some concerns and issues that is associated with this project," Brugger said. "With this new type of technology that we are seeing in Carbon County, having as much information as possible in the application so that we are informed and the commission and board are informed in making this decision could be helpful. This is a new type of energy project we haven't seen in Carbon County and new isn't bad, it is just we want as much information as possible and an application that had more information could be beneficial."

Brugger gave conditions for the board to consider.

Bair introduced himself and the others who had attended the Elk Mountain meeting, in addition to Chris Copeland of Equix Inc, a construction and infrastructure company. He told the planning commission he had received letters of support from Hanna Fire Chief Mark Kostovny, Hanna councilmember Sam Sikes.

Bair and his group gave an overview of the project and addressed what concerns they could.

Wilson asked about safety considerations and McGraw said she felt there was not enough preparation in the application. Bair and his advisors explained because it was a privately funded project, many details could not be presented until the project had its CUP. He said companies that would design and be a part of the alliance to build the project would not commit without the CUP. Bair said he would work closely with the board to rectify all concerns.

While there was a petition of those against the project, two residents in attendance spoke in favor of the project.

Grabow said he believed the project should get the CUP as long as conditions recommended by the board and staff were met and put forth a motion to approve the CUP. McGraw agonized over the electrical source for the project, making clear her concern for the surrounding environment. Wilson pointed out the motion would die without a second. After Bair reiterated the group would do everything possible to get the application to the board's standards McGraw gave a second. The motion to recommend approval of the CUP by the Board of Carbon County Commissioners passed by a 2-1 vote with Wilson casting the dissenting vote.

With the planning commission's recommendation, the Simpson Ridge Green Hydrogen Project is the first project of its kind to receive a CUP in the county.

A public hearing will be held before the Board of Carbon County Commissioners when they meet at 2 p.m. on May 17 at Hanna Town Hall in Hanna.

 

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