Mayors of Lancaster, CA and Namie, Japan Confirm Historic Commitment at Japan's Hydrogen Energy Ministerial
PR92195
LANCASTER, Calif., Oct. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --
The annual National Hydrogen Day has capped a week of excitement and progress
in the international hydrogen community, starting with the Hydrogen Energy
Ministerial on Monday. Though the Ministerial typically provides a global stage
for hydrogen advancement, this year, local-level commitments underlined the
growing importance of this essential energy resource. In his opening remarks,
Japan's Vice Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Naoshi Hirose,
congratulated two cities at opposite ends of the globe – Lancaster, CA and
Namie, Japan – on becoming the first in the world to partner in advancing
hydrogen innovation at the local level. Mayor R. Rex Parris of Lancaster and
Mayor Kazuhiro Yoshida of Namie were both present at the 2021 Ministerial to
confirm their historic commitment and promote their "Smart Sister Cities"
initiative to advance clean hydrogen technology at the municipal level.
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1655579/Lancaster_CA_Mayor_R_Rex_Parris.jpg
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1655580/Namie_Japan_Mayor_Yoshida.jpg
"Though Lancaster and Namie are the first cities to forge a partnership powered
by hydrogen, we hope not to be the last," said Mayor R. Rex Parris of
Lancaster. "We urge municipalities around the globe to join our 'Smart Sister
Cities' movement towards reducing our emissions and saving our planet."
Both Lancaster and Namie are trailblazers in municipal clean energy innovation.
Mayor Parris launched Lancaster's clean energy transition over a decade ago,
inaugurating the city's own clean energy utility company and, in 2019, earning
Lancaster the title of the first "net zero" city in the world through its
investments in solar energy. Now, Lancaster aims to become the first U.S. city
to fully embrace hydrogen, hosting a green hydrogen production and anaerobic
digestion plant, as well as transitioning City Hall to run solely on hydrogen
power. This future-looking vision has drawn billions of dollars in investments,
jobs, and taxes to Lancaster from industry leaders including electric bus
manufacturer BYD, the world's first concentrated solar-power-to-hydrogen
company Heliogen, anaerobic digestion innovator Hitachi Zosen Inova, and
hydrogen gasification company SGH2.
Namie Mayor Kazuhiro Yoshida shares this vision of using hydrogen innovation to
drive development and progress. "The cities will focus on using their unique
resources to advance hydrogen production, storage, distribution and usage," he
told the forum, adding that they will also "pursu[e] a roadmap that encourages
economic development and social progress." Namie emerged from the devastation
of the 2011 Nuclear disaster at Fukushima to rebuild and reimagine itself as
the world's first hydrogen city. In 2020, the town inaugurated the world's
largest solar-to-hydrogen facility at the time, ensuring a supply of hydrogen
that is so reliable, it was even used to power the eternal flame of the 2021
Tokyo Olympics.
With the Olympics coming to Lancaster's doorstep later this decade, Kathryn
Barger, Supervisor of Los Angeles County, challenged the city to build on
hydrogen's newfound place at the games. "Wouldn't it be great if Lancaster
could supply the hydrogen for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles?" she remarked
at the cities' hydrogen MOU signing event in July.
Other officials have taken notice of the global impact of these trailblazing
cities, including U.S. Congressional Representative Mike Garcia of California's
25th District. "I want to recognize the City of Lancaster and the City of Namie
in Fukushima, Japan for becoming 'sister cities' in their dedication to the
promotion of hydrogen as a clean energy source for transportation and
electricity," he stated. "I look forward to seeing what this partnership yields
for Lancaster, CA-25, the State of California, and the world."
Although these local efforts have had an outsized impact, Mayor Parris of
Lancaster made it clear that the U.S. and Japanese governments should support
their "Smart Sister City" vision through investment in hydrogen infrastructure
if they are to create change. "Though we are proud to be leading the way in
hydrogen innovation, climate change is not a problem that we alone can solve.
Addressing imminent climate extinction will require investment, engagement, and
collaboration from decisionmakers at every level," he said.
This sentiment was echoed by Lex Heslin, Senior Project Developer at Hitachi
Zosen Inova, which advises Lancaster on its Hydrogen Master Plan. "These cities
are uniquely positioned to affect change at a granular level. Other local and
national government agencies -- along with academia, the research community,
and the private sector -- should do all we can to invest in them and expand
this critical platform for innovation and change."
Source - City of Lancaster, California
CONTACT: LancasterH2@fticonsulting.com
本プレスリリースは発表元が入力した原稿をそのまま掲載しております。また、プレスリリースへのお問い合わせは発表元に直接お願いいたします。
このプレスリリースには、報道機関向けの情報があります。
プレス会員登録を行うと、広報担当者の連絡先や、イベント・記者会見の情報など、報道機関だけに公開する情報が閲覧できるようになります。