The Mojave Desert already has renewable aircraft of the future. RIC Energy and the American company Cadiz Inc. have signed an agreement to build a self-sufficient green hydrogen production plant. The goal is to generate up to 50 tons of hydrogen per day. This is expected to be the largest green hydrogen facility in California, United States.
South California: to deliver the energy in the form of fuel for trucks and cars, and generate zero-emission electricity
This translates into a project of immense scale. Cadiz Inc. will provide land and 600 cubic meters of water to RIC Energy for the creation of green hydrogen. To achieve this, they will use solar energy to supply hydrogen to markets beyond Southern California. The goal is to deliver this energy in the form of fuel for trucks and cars, and ultimately, generate zero-emission electricity.
Susan Kennedy: “It is the ideal location for green hydrogen production, the largest hydrogen production facility in California”
Continuing along these lines, plans call for a self-sufficient, integrated, off-grid green hydrogen production facility utilizing photovoltaic (PV) energy for its supply on up to 1,200 acres of Cadiz Ranch. “Cadiz is located at the crossroads of major rail, pipeline, and highway infrastructure in California’s Inland Empire, with thousands of acres of solar land and an aquifer system larger than Lake Mead. It is the ideal location for green hydrogen production, the largest hydrogen production facility in California,” said Susan Kennedy, CEO of Cadiz Inc.
The idea is that this plant will help citizens in the destination locations store resources for periods of drought
This new, massive project, which represents an unprecedented facility, features a combination of cutting-edge technologies to create green hydrogen, complying with the strictest regulations of Section 45V of the IRA, utilizing Cádiz’s on-site water resources and fully renewable electricity generated from a local solar array. Among the arguments in favor are its strategic location, with access to railroads and pipelines; the millions of dollars available in federal funding for hydrogen centers; and, finally, the firm promise that Cádiz will function as a kind of “water bank.” The idea is that this plant will help citizens in the destination locations store resources for periods of drought.
Hydrogen can also be locally blended with natural gas for transport through existing pipeline networks on-site and in the vicinity
In RIC Energy’s official statement, they assure that “the Cadiz site is also ideal for potential future hydrogen pipelines serving the Los Angeles region,” and they also comment on the importance of the fact that “hydrogen can also be locally blended with natural gas for transport through existing pipeline networks on-site and in the vicinity, with the goal of supplying California’s burgeoning hydrogen market and meeting this state’s mandate to supply 90% clean electricity by 2035.”
“The production and deployment of clean, renewable hydrogen is essential to fully decarbonize our region’s industries”
Regarding this major project and similar projects that may be developed, Senator Alex Padilla said: “The production and deployment of clean, renewable hydrogen is essential to fully decarbonize our region’s industries, foster clean energy job growth, and meet California’s ambitious carbon neutrality goals.”
According to environmental groups, this is nothing more than a purely economic move intended to continue exploiting natural resources
Last but not least, environmentalists believe this project is disguised as green energy but is actually a greenwash. They believe the goal is to justify the exploitation of ancient aquifers, vital for wildlife and local communities. Therefore, according to environmental groups, this is nothing more than a purely economic move intended to continue exploiting natural resources. We will have to wait and see the real results of this massive project.
