SoCal Gas’ request to track costs for hydrogen pipeline system approved

The California Public Utilities Commission has approved Southern California Gas Company’s request to track costs for advancing the first phase of Angeles Link, a proposed green hydrogen pipeline system that could deliver clean, reliable, renewable energy to the Los Angeles region, it was announced Friday.

As planned, Angeles Link could be the nation’s largest green hydrogen pipeline system and support significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electric generation, industrial processes, heavy-duty trucks, and other hard-to-electrify sectors of the Southern California economy, according to SoCal Gas.

In a final decision, the CPUC declared, “the public interest is served if SoCalGas begins conducting a feasibility study of the Project immediately.”

The agency also asked SoCalGas to join members of the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems in support of California’s application for a share of $8 billion in available federal funds to support regional hydrogen hubs.

“California has some of the boldest climate and clean air goals in the nation,” SoCalGas Chief Executive Officer Scott Drury said in a statement.

“The proposed Angeles Link aligns SoCalGas’ scale, 150 years of expertise in service, and our highly skilled workforce with the clean energy and environmental policies that will shape this century. As the CPUC’s decision highlights, Angeles Link has the potential to support decarbonization for hard- to-electrify sectors of our economy, improve our air quality, bring new economic opportunities as well as sustain and grow skilled jobs to our region.”

Proposed in February, Angeles Link would deliver green hydrogen in an amount equivalent to almost 25% of the natural gas SoCalGas delivers Friday. SoCal Gas said that Angeles Link’s green hydrogen could:

• Displace up to 3 million gallons of diesel fuel per day, or 1 billion gallons annually, and enable conversion of up to four natural gas power plants to run on clean renewable hydrogen;
• Eliminate nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide equal to removing 3.1 million cars off the road annually; and
• Generate billions of dollars in new clean energy investments in the L.A. Basin and create thousands of new union jobs.

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