DOE Selects GE Vernova to Develop AI Assistant for Hydrogen Education

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office selected GE Vernova to lead a project to enable permitting and safety for hydrogen deployment. The project has the following objective: to identify the primary challenges of siting, permitting, and installation across the value chain from hydrogen production to end-use.

“The success of our regional clean hydrogen hubs—and the national clean hydrogen strategy—hinges in large part on advances in technology that will grow clean hydrogen’s economic potential,” said Dr. Sunita Satyapal, Director of the U.S. DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office and Coordinator of the DOE Hydrogen Program. “At the same time, we need to ensure that siting and permitting are done in the safest, most efficient way possible as hydrogen infrastructure expands across domestic markets. By identifying ways to address siting and permitting challenges, these projects will complement other large-scale investments in clean hydrogen by the Biden-Harris administration and will play a vital role in contributing to our nation’s clean energy future.”

GE Vernova will lead a project team called H2Net, including Clemson University and Roper Mountain Science Center based in Greenville, SC. The company will enter award negotiations with the DOE valued at $1 million to finalize the terms and scope of the project. As part of the program, H2Net will develop an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant trained on the relevant, critical documents for safe hydrogen handling and permitting.

“We are proud to be a part of the DOE’s commitments to reduce CO₂ emissions and accelerate the progress towards a more sustainable economy with less carbon emissions,” said Jeremee Wetherby, Carbon Solutions Leader at GE Vernova. “Our project proposes to reap the benefits from artificial intelligence and explore new and innovative ways to handle hydrogen deployment safely, while investing in trainings for the community and our workforce. We are grateful for the collaboration with Clemson University and Roper Mountain Science Center, which will bring their expertise respectively in the development of AI applications and in K-12 science curriculum and exhibit development.”

The AI Assistant, called HySAGE—Hydrogen Smart Assistant for Governance Execution—will be validated against requirements and lessons from GE Vernova’s Gas Turbine Manufacturing and Technology Center in Greenville. HySAGE will enable modeling capability and flexibility for incorporating codes, standards, and environmental scenarios, increasing the versatility and accuracy of the tool.

GE Vernova and DOE News

In May 2024, GE Vernova’s high burnup fuel rods were delivered to the DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory for examination to help provide valuable information about high burnup fuel, which is a goal of the DOE’s Accident Tolerant Fuel program. The rods, manufactured by GE Vernova’s Nuclear Fuel business, Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF), located in Wilmington, NC, completed three full cycles of operation at a U.S. nuclear power plant.

The post-irradiation examinations performed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory support GNF’s development, engineering, and licensing efforts to ensure the continued safe and reliable performance of fuel under expanded operating conditions. Higher burnup fuel enhances nuclear safety by enabling fuel to remain in the reactor core for longer before it is removed for long-term storage. The idea is that fewer bundles will support improved fuel-cycle economics and power uprates.