The public had a chance to weigh in on a potential hydrogen-blending pilot project on UC Irvine’s campus at hearings held on Tuesday, July 1, at the local high school.
SoCalGas has been trying for more than five years to get the project started. Now it’s just waiting for approval from the California Public Utilities Commission, and if approved the pilot project would be underway by 2027. Two required public participation hearings were held Tuesday, the first drawing about 70 people.
The proposal is to blend up to 20% of hydrogen gas in existing natural gas pipelines at the university’s recreation center to power equipment such as pool heaters and kitchen appliances. The process would be monitored by trained staff and the pilot project would run for about three years, according to the commission.
Because hydrogen doesn’t produce carbon dioxide when burned, using it can be a lower-carbon alternative to natural gas.
Last year, when SoCalGas and three other gas companies reapplied for approval of their five test projects, including the one at UC Irvine, environmentalist groups such as the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund, as well as consumer advocate groups, pushed back.
This is the gas companies’ third time applying — a previous proposal would have run hydrogen through UCI’s freshman dorms and on-campus dining halls, but was rejected in 2023 after the student body opposed the plan.
A SoCalGas representative said at Tuesday’s public hearing the project would establish a standard for the state to one day use hydrogen as an “important tool” to reach carbon neutrality goals. Some UC Irvine professors at the hearing said hydrogen is a key step toward making the energy grid sustainable.
But the Climate Action Campaign, which has organized local opposition to the project, argued at the public participation hearing that companies such as SoCalGas only push hydrogen to ensure reliance on their gas infrastructure during movements toward sustainability. The proposed project is still reliant on fossil fuel infrastructure, they argued, and is just “greenwashing,” or trying to brand non-renewable energy as sustainable.
Some commenters raised concerns that hydrogen also produces air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and can be more prone to leakage and explosions. They opposed the project, saying the safety risk to those using the recreation center and nearby residences and child care centers is not worth the demonstration of hydrogen use.
UC San Diego ended up rejecting a similar proposed project on campus.
UC Irvine calls the project a major step toward bringing clean energy to all of California. Climate activists dub it a “risky on-campus experiment.”
Graduate students from UCI’s Clean Energy Institute who spoke at the hearing said hydrogen blending can lower emissions of existing gas lines without major infrastructure changes to make a difference now. They said the project can allow researchers to study the performance and safety of hydrogen to eventually scale it across California.
The Climate Action Campaign pushed to postpone the hearing until the academic year, to hear from more undergraduate students who are currently on summer break.
During the school year, the UCI student body passed legislation in opposition of the project, saying most students weren’t made aware of what would be built under their gymnasium. Only a handful of students were in attendance at the hearing Tuesday.
The California Public Utilities Commission will hold eight more public participation hearings through the end of August around the state to cover all the proposed projects. Administrative Law Judge Charles Ferguson, who is overseeing the case, will continue to review the proposal.
“This has been very fruitful, in my opinion, and I’ve been to a lot of these for a lot of different utilities,” Ferguson said Tuesday. “This one is quite high level and I really appreciate everything that everybody gave on both sides of the issue here. There is science on both sides.”
After the public hearings, an evidentiary hearing will be held that can take several days to weeks. After which, Ferguson will make a proposed decision that will then need three votes from commissioners to stand.
Commissioners can also vote to disregard Ferguson’s decision.
He said Tuesday the process may lead into mid-2026. Ferguson also suggested residents add comments or documentation to the public record for review by the commission to have their voices heard.