Bakken Energy announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with BNSF Railway to work together on the design of the Heartland H₂ hub, specifically the role of railways as consumers and transporters of clean H₂.

BNSF Railway is one of North America’s leading freight transportation companies, with a rail network of 32,500 route miles in 28 states and three Canadian provinces. BNSF is one of the top transporters of the products and materials that help feed, clothe, supply and power communities throughout America and the world.

In collaboration with the States of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Montana, Bakken Energy is working on the design of the Heartland H₂ hub, a regional clean H₂ hub competing to obtain federal funding through the Department of Energy’s $7-B regional clean H₂ hubs program announced on September 22, 2022, as part of the larger $8-B H₂ hub program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The foundation of the industry-led Hub is Bakken Energy’s large scale affordable clean H₂ production using natural gas that would otherwise be flared, including carbon capture and sequestration.

“It is a privilege to be partnered with BNSF,” said Bakken Energy Founder and Chairman Steve Lebow. “Railways could play a critical role in distributing our clean hydrogen production and could also be consumers as trains transition from diesel. BNSF is the ideal partner to work out the role of railways in our Heartland Hydrogen Hub.”

“For Bakken Energy, and our Heartland Hydrogen Hub, it is all about making clean hydrogen abundant and affordable,” said Bakken Energy CEO Mike Hopkins. “Part of the equation is production, but the other part is distribution and that’s where BNSF will be invaluable. Being able to transport our hydrogen by rail would dramatically reduce our distribution costs and therefore the cost to consumers.”

“We see our work with Bakken Energy and the Heartland Hydrogen Hub as part of our commitment to a more sustainable energy and transportation system, including exploring the role railways can play in a hydrogen economy,” said John Lovenburg, VP of Environment and Sustainability at BNSF.