Southern Company Gas 2022 Sustainability Executive Summary Final 4.19.23 - Flipbook - Page 34
Southern Company Gas has been proactive when it
Southern Company Gas sees the potential to introduce
comes to implementing RNG. For example, Atlanta Gas
hydrogen into new or existing gas infrastructure and has
Light has two interconnection tariffs for third parties to
partnered with industry peers, research consortia,
connect and transport RNG on our system. Nicor Gas is
academia and national laboratories to help sponsor
also implementing a pilot program to enable the
several hydrogen R&D initiatives. Nicor Gas is a technical
interconnection of new RNG facilities, and in 2022,
sponsor of the Open Hydrogen Initiative, an international
Virginia Natural Gas received approval for an RNG
cohort of energy sector professionals working to build
interconnection program. In 2022, both Virginia Natural
consistent, transparent and technical emissions
Gas and Chattanooga Gas benefited from the passage
measurement protocols for hydrogen to enhance our
of legislation supporting the integration of RNG and
understanding of the fuel’s carbon intensity.
other renewable fuels into gas supply efforts.
In 2022, we continued our leadership role in the second
In September 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
year of the HyBlend collaboration, an R&D initiative to
announced an $8 billion funding opportunity to develop
address the technical barriers to blending hydrogen in
regional clean hydrogen hubs under the Infrastructure
natural gas infrastructure and study the lifecycle emissions
Investment and Jobs Act. Southern Company Gas is
of hydrogen blends. The HyBlend team comprises six
involved in two separate bids to secure funding for
DOE national laboratories and more than 20 participants
investment in clean hydrogen infrastructure within our
from industry and academia. Since the start of the
footprint. Nicor Gas is a member of the Midwest Alliance
collaboration, we have accomplished several milestones,
for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2), a multi-state coalition of
including an evaluation of emissions of natural gas and
public and private entities representing every phase in
hydrogen combustion at various end-use applications, a
the hydrogen value chain. Additionally, the Southeast
lifecycle analysis of synthetic natural gas production and
Hydrogen Hub is a coalition of six major utilities,
a draft journal article on the economic assessment of
including Southern Company, working to bring a
alternative pathways for natural gas decarbonization.
hydrogen nexus to the Southeast region of the U.S.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen, which does not generate GHGs when burned, can be blended into natural gas
or provided directly to customers through dedicated infrastructure to lower the overall
carbon intensity of the fuel we provide.
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