Hydrogen production facility property purchases begin at Valley Link

The plant will support the future of the rail project’s operations as well as other H2-powered initiatives

The San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority has announced that it has finalized a property purchase agreement for the hydrogen production facility needed for its rail project.

The land purchase was for a 200-acre parcel located in Tracy, California through an agreement with the city.

The property offers the green hydrogen production facility the land it critically needs to operate and support the authority’s vision for the Valley Link rail project’s sustainability goal. The plant will also support other local transit and heavy truck operators’ clean energy goals.

“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 authority Board of Directors Chair Veronica Vargas. “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 green hydrogen production facility will help the Valley Link Rail Project to be sustainable.

Phase 1 of the 26-mile Valley Link Rail Project runs from the Dublin/Pleasanton Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in Alameda County and San Joaquin County’s Mountain House station. It will provide tens of thousands of workers in the Bay Area with a connection through which they can commute from their Northern Joaquin Valley community homes. Some of the most disadvantaged communities in the state are living in some of the most polluted air basins in the country.

Many California transit agencies have been investing in several H2-powered vehicle technologies as well as a range of H2 are producing their own. The vision for the sustainability of the Valley Link rail project aims to substantially expand on that opportunity, including the chance to manage risk and maximize green hydrogen production outcomes by way of public-private partnerships among those with experience and expertise in H2.

“The Valley Link hydrogen production business model is intended to serve as not only a catalyst for private investment, but also for a green energy economy within the Northern California megaregion combined with workforce development to create and sustain living wage jobs,” said David Haubert, Alameda County District 1 Supervisor.