A proposed project by the Southern California Gas Company that’ll power parts of UC Irvine’s student recreation center by mixing hydrogen gas into an existing natural gas pipeline is sparking controversy at the university.
The gas company and UCI officials are gearing up for a plan that potentially changes the future of providing energy for buildings, home appliances and vehicles.
Yet some climate activists and UCI students say there’s been lack of transparency to the public about the project and are raising potential safety concerns.
Earlier this year, UCI’s Associated Students – representing the undergraduate student body – drafted a resolution in opposition of the project led by the gas company.
“Hydrogen is roughly five times more likely than natural gas to ignite if exposed to air, the risk is even higher if hydrogen leaks into an enclosed space, making safety policies and monitoring even more important,” the resolution reads.
The gas company and university officials are currently waiting for final approval from the California Public Utilities Commission, which could greenlight the project by early next year.
It’s part’s a larger scale development from the gas company that includes hydrogen blending – mixing hydrogen gas into an existing natural gas pipeline – into other regions and communities across the Golden State.
While using hydrogen as a fuel source doesn’t produce carbon dioxide, it can produce nitrogen oxides as an air pollutant, according to studies from the U.S. Department of Energy.
As part of the proposal, SoCalGas is asking for ratepayer reimbursement to fund the nearly $27 million project.
“If approved, the costs will be distributed among all ratepayers within SoCalGas’s service territory, which encompasses 21 million consumers across Central and Southern California,” said Raul Gordillo, a spokesperson for SoCalGas, in an April 16 email.
The state utilities commission is expected to make a decision on the proposed project pending review by early next year.
“These ratepayers, including both individuals and businesses who pay for natural gas services, will fund the demonstration project,” he continued. “This effort is in direct support of California’s climate goals and in response to the direction of the [California Public Utilities Commission].”
To read the amended application, click here.
The proposed project is anticipated to utilize a pipeline under UCI’s recreation center, referred to as the Anteater Recreation center, that’ll mix up to 20% hydrogen gas into an existing natural gas pipe to power boilers, water heaters and other appliances in the building.
According to a UCI website posting, “A blend of more than 20 percent hydrogen would be necessary for a more substantial impact on decarbonization.”
The mapping of the project shows that the pipeline – on California Ave. – is also next to UCI’s Early Education Center, the university’s infant and toddler centers, and parts of student housing along Arroyo Vista.
The experiment starts with UCI’s recreation center, a facility used regularly by students, professors and alumni.
“This Project’s purpose is to gather and analyze field-testing data using increasing concentrations of blended hydrogen in a medium-pressure steel and plastic distribution pipeline system,” reads the proposal to the state utilities commission.
Some hydrogen advocates, like Jack Brouwer – a UCI professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering – argue that energy projects like the hydrogen pipeline is a necessary step in addressing climate change.
Brouwer has been involved with other hydrogen projects that involved SoCalGas in the past, receiving research grant funding for a similar project that injected hydrogen gas into a natural gas pipeline for UCI’s power plant back in 2016.
That project saw the implementation of a power-to-gas pipeline – converting energy from solar panels and windmills into hydrogen, blending with other natural gases and being turned into energy for home appliances and university’s power plants.
For Brouwer, the proposed project “is necessary for a sustainable future” as government officials aim to reduce pollution.
“If we’re being honest about achieving zero carbon and zero greenhouse emissions in our society, then we need to start thinking about our pipes and wires,” Brouwer said in a phone interview.
But not everyone agrees.
Kevork Abazajian, a professor of physics and astronomy at UCI, said in a phone interview that hydrogen has shown to be useful in niche circumstances like chemical plants, steel refineries and in some cases transportation.
He said under the current proposal, which mostly covers appliances for heating, “It’s the worst possible use for hydrogen.”
Abazajian added that ultimately, he wouldn’t risk “putting non consensual people that are working out a recreation facility on campus or who happen to live on campus near the pipeline” for the sake of experimenting on hydrogen.
Getting the Message Across at UCI
Both university officials and SoCalGas said there’s been public outreach in the form of town halls, online press conferences and information via online websites.
Sheri Ledbetter, lead spokesperson at UCI, said that the university has made efforts to relay information to the proposed planning site to implement hydrogen blending.
“We have been in communication with student housing, the Anteater Recreation Center and both child development care centers,” she said.
Leaders from the UCI Early Education Center, including Laura Sanbrano – director of child care services – declined requests for comment about the proposed pipeline project.
For UCI students like Frank Granda, a senior who is an organizer for the Sunrise Movement – a political organization advocating for climate policy – said there hasn’t been enough public outreach.
Granda has a history of dealing with hydrogen projects at UCI campus – having authored the resolution for the university’s student leadership opposing a potential project back earlier this year, as well as an earlier resolution for another project years prior.
“The average student still has no idea what’s going on,” Granda said in an interview at UCI campus.
He added that those in favor of the pipeline project are largely dismissive toward the safety concerns of using hydrogen and long-term implications of university officials continuing to work with SoCalGas.
“We may be a research institution, but that doesn’t mean that UCI and other parties involved should treat their students like lab rats,” he said.
Tomas Castro, an OC climate organizer for the Climate Action Campaign, was one of several advocates at UCI campus on Feb. 24 spreading awareness of the proposed hydrogen pipeline project.
“We talked to a lot of students and faculty about hydrogen,” Castro said, mentioning the higher risk for explosions compared to other alternatives, the potential for leakage, as well as the cost for implementation.
He continued “people simply just don’t know the harms that are going to come to pass from this project, and SoCalGas prefers that they don’t know.”
The gas company said in an email statement that the project is safe.
“SoCalGas has a long history of safely engaging in UCI demonstration projects, including the United States’ first successful power-to-gas project in 2016 with UCI, which blended clean hydrogen into a natural gas pipeline to help power parts of the school’s campus,” said Gordillo, spokesperson for the gas company.
A Debate Over Public Safety and Transparency
People opposing the hydrogen blending project – like Castro – also point to recent disasters that involved SoCalGas as a reason for caution.
The gas company agreed to settle for $71 million for their role in a methane gas leak occurring in Aliso Canyon back in 2015, seeing roughly 36,000 people sue for damages on about 23,000 properties across Southern California.
Brouwer – the UCI professor who received grant funding roughly a year later – said he understands the safety concerns.
“In some cases it’s pretty nefarious,” he said, later adding that the gas company should continue making efforts to inform the public.
Gordillo, the representative from SoCalGas, said in an email statement that the utility company will continue outreach activities to “work closely with UCI to provide relevant updates to stakeholders and the community throughout the project duration.”
He continued “should the [California Public Utilities Commission] approve the proposal, this project will be guided and monitored by a dedicated UCI administrative team, including experts from Facilities Management and Environmental Health & Safety.”
However, the project is ultimately about making progress to curb climate change, Brouwer said.
“We should try to electrify as much as possible,” Brouwer continued, mentioning electrifying light duty vehicles as an example. “But we need daily storage, like facilities to hold these vehicles, and that’s why we should consider hydrogen for the more difficult things.”
Some climate activists, like Ayn Craciun – OC policy director at the Climate Action Campaign – still aren’t convinced.
“The gas industry is pursuing these kinds of experiments at the expense of hard working families, and in this case even students, so they can continue making money,” she said.
On top of safety concerns involving hydrogen blending, Craciun added that the university ought to focus on electrifying more infrastructure on campus first, something that already exists on campus on a smaller scale.
At UCI, some things are already electrified, including the university’s shuttle service using all-electric buses.
Craciun said that companies and university officials are taking advantage of the Irvine community, not just at UCI campus, for sharing little information about the project outside of posts from a website.
“Because it’s at college, even if we reach every impacted area, many people might not be there very long after,” adding that UCI students, professors, employees and nearby residents are potentially at risk.
“Importantly, SoCalGas is not paying for this,” Craciun said.
Who’s Paying For the Project?
The gas company is seeking $26.8 million from ratepayers for the project.
“SoCalGas proposes to recover the cost of the Projects and any balances recorded to the [balancing account] in transportation rates,” reads a testimony from the gas company.
This includes SoCalGas’ entire service territory in Central and Southern California, making up roughly 21 million customers according to an email statement from the gas company.
“The allocation is 38.7% to Core customers, of which 25.7% is allocated to the Residential class, and 61.3% is allocated to noncore customers,” the testimony continues.
Some Irvine residents had no idea about the proposed project from SoCalGas.
Hilary Lin, a pediatrician and climate advocate, said in a phone interview that if it wasn’t for the Climate Action Campaign approaching her directly earlier this year, “I truly don’t believe I would’ve heard of the project.”
Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly said that hydrogen only emits water vapor when used as an energy source. Hydrogen also emits nitrogen oxides, or NOx, into the air. We regret the error.
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss.