Delay in LA City Council Vote on Controversial Plan to Shift Power Plant to Green Hydrogen

The Los Angeles City Council has delayed a final vote on the much-debated plan to shift the Scattergood Generating Station, a power plant in Playa del Rey, from natural gas to green hydrogen. The estimated $800 million plan has been met with objections from some environmental groups concerned about the impact of green hydrogen on the climate and lack of transparency. New council members have requested more context from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power before voting, including potential alternatives to the project and public health risks associated with green hydrogen. Council President Paul Krekorian believes that the shift is necessary for Los Angeles to meet its goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2035 but environmental groups have argued that hydrogen still produces emissions which can threaten the climate, would require large amounts of water to power the plant and cost more than solar, wind or battery storage.

Hydrogen as a Fuel Source

Hydrogen is an increasingly popular fuel source due to its clean burning properties. It has the potential to reduce emissions and improve air quality when used in place of other fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be produced from water through electrolysis, or from natural gas, biomass, and coal. It is also abundant in the universe and can be extracted from various sources. Hydrogen can be used in fuel cells to generate electricity with water as the only by-product. This makes it a much cleaner alternative to traditional combustion engines that rely on fossil fuels, which produce harmful emissions.
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Picture source: Richard Horvath