Oceanit Partners with Hawaiʻi Gas and U.S. Department of Energy to Pilot Breakthrough Technology to Safely Transport Hydrogen Through U.S. Natural Gas Infrastructure

Honolulu, HI – October 3, 2022 – In a joint statement Oceanit and Hawaiʻi Gas announced a new collaboration to pilot Oceanit’s HydroPel technology with Hawaiʻi Gas’ 1,100 miles of pipeline network that accommodates a mix of natural gas and up to 15% hydrogen – more utility hydrogen than any other gas utility company in the United States.

Hydrogen (H2) is the simplest and most abundant element on Earth, usually found in combination with other elements such as water (H2O), hydrocarbons, etc. Hydrogen can be produced with renewable energy “green hydrogen” or produced with natural gas that uses carbon capture and storage “blue hydrogen”.

Using hydrogen as an energy carrier could be the missing link in integrating renewable energy sources into the national grid, providing grid resilient energy storage and backup during off-peak demand, and enabling carbon free power generation via existing gas turbine systems. Hydrogen can decarbonize industries that are difficult to electrify such as carbon intensive steelmaking, as well as forms of transportation such as shipping and long-haul trucking that are power and range intensive.

“The partnership with Oceanit has to do with new technology for transforming pipelines that carry natural gas right now, to be better prepared for carrying a blend of natural gas and hydrogen,” said Hawaii Gas Vice President of Operations Kevin M. Nishimura. “The reason Oceanit is partnering with Hawaii Gas is because we’ve been the only utility in the country to blend hydrogen with natural gas for utility gas distribution for almost 50 years now.

Read the full Hawai’i Gas press release here: https://www.hawaiigas.com/posts/oceanit-partners-with-hawai-i-gas-and-u-s-department-of-energy-to-pilot-new-breakthrough-technology-to-safely-transport-hydrogen-through-u-s-natural-gas-infrastructure