Southern California Gas Company is proposing to build what it says will be the largest dedicated US green hydrogen distribution infrastructure able to displace up to three million gallons per day of diesel fuel in the Los Angeles industrial basin.

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Angeles Link calls for employing 25-35GW of curtailed and new wind and solar power, plus 2GW of energy storage, to power 10-20GW of electrolysers to produce H2 that would flow through 250-750 miles (402-1,207 km) of new trunk and distribution lines.

By comparison, California on 1 January had 22.9GW of utility-scale renewable energy in operation, according to trade group American Clean Power Association.

SoCalGas said the project — which would cost billions of dollars — would also enable the conversion of up to four natural gas power plants to run on green hydrogen.

“The challenges we face on climate require solutions of scale and urgency,” said Scott Drury, CEO of SoCalGas. “The Angeles Link is designed to meet those challenges head-on.”

The green H2 would “significantly reduce” greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty trucks, industrial processes and “other hard-to-electrify sectors of the Southern California economy,” the company said in a news release. The project would also eliminate up to 25,000 tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxide annually.

SoCalGas said the project would also benefit ratepayers and the state by advancing California’s 2045 net-zero goals.

SoCalGas on Thursday submitted the first project phase to the California Public Utilities Commission for consideration by electric utility regulators and eventual public comment. This phase will be the preliminary front-end engineering and design scope, and feasibility analysis, which will take 12-18 months.

In its application, the company proposes a three-phase approach with a robust stakeholder process. The application includes descriptions of each phase, including development of a detailed project application as part of Phase 3.

With this application submission the proposed Angeles Link is in its initial stage of development, and subsequent stages will require further regulatory review and discretionary approvals, among other things.

Drury said the project, if completed, would extend California’s position as a US clean energy leader, while helping to attract billions of dollars in new investment and create thousands of skilled jobs.