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Can’t-miss Houston energy event: Hydrogen Technology Expo

The must-attend exhibitor hall and conference creates the perfect place to make new industry connections and grow existing relationships. Photo courtesy of hydrogen-expo.com.

NRG Center opens its doors June 28 to 29 to North America’s leading event focused primarily on hydrogen.

The packed agenda for the H2 Hydrogen Technology Expo features two days of engaging presentations aimed at establishing hydrogen as the primary option for aircraft, shipping, heavy- and light-duty commercial vehicles, space and UAV technology, and mobile and stationary applications at remote locations. Over 100 expert speakers will examine solutions addressing hydrogen’s technical and economic challenges.

Four distinct discussion tracks emphasizing technical and R&D solutions proposed to develop and overcome some of the main barriers to hydrogen and fuel cell adoption will run simultaneously, with common break times allowing for plenty of networking.

  • Track 1: clean hydrogen production, storage, and infrastructure development
  • Track 2: fuel cell technology
  • Track 3: low-carbon fuels and propulsion
  • Track 4: carbon capture, utilization, storage, and blue hydrogen

The conference showcase explores advanced design, testing, development, manufacturing solutions, and materials for hydrogen fuel cells. Additionally, attendees will discover new technology intended to advance efforts for low-carbon hydrogen production, and efficient storage, transport, and infrastructure.

Full-conference pass holders may also access the Carbon Capture Technology Expo, recently combined into the H2 Hydrogen Technology Conference as Track 4 but featuring a unique exhibition space focused on decarbonizing heavy industry.

Registration is available at hydrogen-expo.com, where the main exhibition hall is free to attend.

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A View From HETI

The project would nearly eliminate the emissions associated with power and steam generation at the Dow plant in Seadrift, Texas. Getty Images

Dow, a major producer of chemicals and plastics, wants to use next-generation nuclear reactors for clean power and steam at a Texas manufacturing complex instead of natural gas.

Dow's subsidiary, Long Mott Energy, applied Monday to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a construction permit. It said the project with X-energy, an advanced nuclear reactor and fuel company, would nearly eliminate the emissions associated with power and steam generation at its plant in Seadrift, Texas, avoiding roughly 500,000 metric tons of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions annually.

If built and operated as planned, it would be the first U.S. commercial advanced nuclear power plant for an industrial site, according to the NRC.

For many, nuclear power is emerging as an answer to meet a soaring demand for electricity nationwide, driven by the expansion of data centers and artificial intelligence, manufacturing and electrification, and to stave off the worst effects of a warming planet. However, there are safety and security concerns, the Union of Concerned Scientists cautions. The question of how to store hazardous nuclear waste in the U.S. is unresolved, too.

Dow wants four of X-energy's advanced small modular reactors, the Xe-100. Combined, those could supply up to 320 megawatts of electricity or 800 megawatts of thermal power. X-energy CEO J. Clay Sell said the project would demonstrate how new nuclear technology can meet the massive growth in electricity demand.

The Seadrift manufacturing complex, at about 4,700 acres, has eight production plants owned by Dow and one owned by Braskem. There, Dow makes plastics for a variety of uses including food and beverage packaging and wire and cable insulation, as well as glycols for antifreeze, polyester fabrics and bottles, and oxide derivatives for health and beauty products.

Edward Stones, the business vice president of energy and climate at Dow, said submitting the permit application is an important next step in expanding access to safe, clean, reliable, cost-competitive nuclear energy in the United States. The project is supported by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.

The NRC expects the review to take three years or less. If a permit is issued, construction could begin at the end of this decade, so the reactors would be ready early in the 2030s, as the natural gas-fired equipment is retired.

A total of four applicants have asked the NRC for construction permits for advanced nuclear reactors. The NRC issued a permit to Abilene Christian University for a research reactor and to Kairos Power for one reactor and two reactor test versions of that company's design. It's reviewing an application by Bill Gates and his energy company, TerraPower, to build an advanced reactor in Wyoming.

X-energy is also collaborating with Amazon to bring more than 5 gigawatts of new nuclear power projects online across the United States by 2039, beginning in Washington state. Amazon and other tech giants have committed to using renewable energy to meet the surging demand from data centers and artificial intelligence and address climate change.

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