SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced plans to attract new investments in hydrogen fuel development during a business summit in the Netherlands next week.
In a news release on Friday, Gov. Lujan Grisham said she will lead a delegation to an industry summit exhibition in the port city of Rotterdam. The goal is to promote New Mexico as a vibrant and promising location for hydrogen industry investment. Last year, Lujan Grisham led a similar mission to Australia to engage with hydrogen entrepreneurs.
A Democrat, Lujan Grisham has been an advocate for hydrogen investments as a transitional fuel that can replace fossil fuels with cleaner-burning hydrogen for vehicles, manufacturing, and electricity generation.
However, some environmentalists argue that hydrogen is a false solution, as it often relies on natural gas. Several New Mexico-based groups have opposed state incentives for hydrogen development, expressing concerns that it could extend natural gas development and increase demand for limited water supplies.
Hydrogen can also be produced through electrolysis, which involves splitting water molecules using renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear power.
New Mexico is a significant energy-producing state with extensive natural gas reserves and recent investments in electrical transmission lines to expand renewable energy production from wind and solar sources.
Last year, the Biden administration bypassed a four-state bid from New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming for a share of $7 billion aimed at jumpstarting hydrogen fuel development. Instead, it selected projects in California, Washington, Minnesota, Texas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Illinois.
The hydrogen summit in Rotterdam is supported by a range of public and private sponsors. Lujan Grisham will travel with office staff, New Mexico cabinet secretaries for the environment and transportation, and her husband Manny Cordova. The New Mexico delegation will also include Rob Black, president of a statewide chamber of commerce.
Source: power-eng.com