Earlier this month, the Tri-Valley – San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority (Authority) Board of Directors approved entering into a strategic collaboration with Linde Engineering North America (Linde) for the advancement of the proposed Valley Link green hydrogen production facility. This collaboration involves the preparation of a project development agreement to further define the configuration of a hydrogen production facility, determine the implementation strategy, and establish the partnership structure with Linde. This action is critical to support the Authority’s vision of sustainability for the Valley Link rail project – to be the first passenger rail system in California to run on self-produced, green hydrogen, with a hydrogen fuel production facility able to support the clean energy goals of other transit and heavy truck operators.
Valley Link’s goal to operate zero-emission hydrogen rail vehicles makes it a model of environmental and economic sustainability.
“Valley Link’s self-produced, green hydrogen will reduce the cost of the overall project operations for the public and offset state and federal transit subsidies,” said Veronica Vargas, Chair of the Authority Board of Directors. “The project’s vision also supports opportunities to create and sustain new living wage jobs in both the hydrogen fuel production and related renewable energy industries. This is good for both the economy and the environment.”
The Authority’s action on the strategic collaboration with Linde is based on the outcome of a request for proposals process through which the Authority solicited proposals from qualified firms to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain a hydrogen production and storage facility. The request for proposals specifically identified the Authority’s pursuit of the project as a public-private partnership to leverage the expertise from the private sector hydrogen production industry while also leveraging the value and geography of 100 acres of property available for the project. Linde was recognized as being uniquely qualified to support all of the Authority’s goals and objectives in the hydrogen production facility request for proposals. This includes Linde’s ability to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain an electrolytic hydrogen production, storage, and distribution facility. As a company with expertise at every level in the hydrogen fuel chain – from planning and design through building and commissioning as well as service and maintenance – Linde is recognized as a world leader in the production, processing, storage, and distribution of hydrogen, and owns and operates one of the largest hydrogen capacity and distribution systems in the United States.
“Linde is pleased to work with Valley Link on this green hydrogen project to decarbonize passenger vehicle rail service in the California Bay Area. Our existing hydrogen supply infrastructure coupled with our knowhow and technologies for hydrogen production, vehicle fueling, and most recently train fueling in Bremervörde, Germany have us well prepared to help ensure Valley Link’s project is successful,” said Andrew Sarantapoulas, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for Linde. “We look forward to working closely with the local team over the next several years through the development, funding, commercialization and operation of this exciting project which is well aligned with Linde’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Valley Link will ultimately close a critical gap in the statewide rail system with a 42-mile, seven station rail connection between the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station and the North Lathrop Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) station with all day service on BART frequencies during peak periods. With 33,000 daily riders projected by 2040, Valley Link would remove tens of thousands of cars off Interstates 580 and 205 and connect nearly 500 miles of passenger rail with more than 130 stations in the Northern California Megaregion. Additional information on the Tri-Valley – San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority, is available on the Regional Rail Authority’s website at www.valleylinkrail.com.
