Gulf States Secure $20 Million Grant to Repurpose Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms for Green Hydrogen

Three Gulf Coast states—Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas—have won a competitive $20 million grant from the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to repurpose offshore oil and gas platforms for green hydrogen production and other sustainable uses.

The funding supports the "Repurposing Petroleum Infrastructure for Sustainable Energy, Food, and Critical Minerals" program, led by the Gulf Offshore Research Institute. Research partners include universities such as Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, University of Houston, Louisiana State University, and University of Michigan, along with environmental and aquaculture firms.

The five-year initiative will research and demonstrate how idle offshore infrastructure can transition to green hydrogen production through electrolysis powered by renewable energy, while also supporting open ocean aquaculture and marine habitat conservation. The University of Houston's existing ROICE program—launched in 2022 with $1.3 million to develop plans for repurposing thousands of inactive wells, pipelines, and platforms in the Gulf—will be expanded with this funding.

According to the project timeline, the team aims to complete platform permitting, structural assessments, and stakeholder engagement before operating five functional platforms producing measurable environmental and economic returns by 2030. The Gulf's offshore wind resources, while less optimal than other coastal regions, can support sufficient wind turbine density for hydrogen production through electrolysis.

Originally reported by CleanTechnica. Read the full article →