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Blue Hydrogen: Technology Challenges, Weak Commercial Prospects and Not Green

February 08, 2022
Suzanne Mattei and Tom Sanzillo and David Schlissel and Dennis Wamsted and Seth Feaster and Omar Mawji
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Key Findings

Blue hydrogen requires methane, production is energy-intensive and requires carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Commercial CCS projects have never achieved the industry target rate over time, despite years of efforts.

Cleaner competition has big head start, and blue hydrogen must play catch-up to other technologies, especially batteries. Therefore blue hydrogen markets are likely to shrink due to green competition.

An analysis of new federal hydrogen program incentives challenges the track record, current rationale and market future for "blue" hydrogen produced from natural gas.

Suzanne Mattei

Suzanne Mattei is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in public interest law and policy. She has analyzed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s policies related to interstate pipeline approval. She has also conducted research on blue hydrogen, petrochemical projects, gas flaring and fossil fuel extraction on public lands.

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Tom Sanzillo

Tom Sanzillo is Director of Financial Analysis for IEEFA. He has produced influential studies on the oil, gas, petrochemical and coal sectors in the U.S. and internationally, including company and credit analyses, facility development, oil and gas reserves, stock and commodity market analysis, and public and private financial structures. He also examines such areas as community and shareholder activism, institutional investment, public subsidies and Puerto Rico’s energy economics.

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David Schlissel

David Schlissel is an IEEFA analyst with 50 years of experience as an economic and technical consultant on energy and environmental issues. 

He has testified as an expert witness before regulatory commissions in more than 35 states and before the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

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Dennis Wamsted

At IEEFA, Dennis Wamsted focuses on the ongoing transition away from fossil fuels to green generation resources, focusing particularly on the electric power sector.

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Seth Feaster

Seth Feaster is an Energy Data Analyst whose work focuses on the coal industry and the U.S. power sector.

Before joining IEEFA, he created visual presentations at the New York Times for 25 years with a focus on complex financial and energy data; he also worked at The Federal Reserve Bank of New York. 

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Omar Mawji

Omar Mawji is a former Energy Finance Analyst, Canada. At IEEFA, Omar focused on oil & gas upstream, midstream, and downstream companies and projects in Canada. His work pays particular attention to how oil & gas companies adapt to a changing low-carbon energy future.

Omar has spent his entire career in the investment management industry specializing in energy and technology investments. He has experience in oil & gas M&A, corporate finance, strategy, and distressed debt.

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