Officials break ground on hydrogen facility in Chehalis

Lewis County Transit held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning for the Port of Chehalis Hydrogen Production & Fueling Station, officially marking the start of construction on one of Washington state’s first hydrogen fueling stations.

Joe Clark, executive director of Lewis County Transit, addressed attendees during the event, alongside state Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, and Mark Westley, board chair of Lewis County Transit and Centralia City Council member.

Attendees included representatives from numerous Washington state organizations, including the Department of Commerce, Department of Transportation and Department of Ecology, alongside key vendors and community partners.
Owned and operated by Lewis County Transit, the facility will provide on-site generation of green electrolyte hydrogen to support the agency’s zero-emission fleet goals.

Once operational in the spring of 2026, the station will supply approximately 750 kilograms of hydrogen per day to Lewis County Transit and other local municipal fleets. An additional 1,250 kilograms per day will be available to regional public fleets that require hydrogen but do not produce their own fuel.

The project demonstrates how hydrogen can be produced and distributed sustainably to meet public transportation needs, according to a news release from backers. It uses approximately 54 kilowatts of green electrolytic power and just 2.9 gallons of local city water to produce one kilogram of hydrogen, operating with minimal greenhouse gas emissions.

Lewis County Transit has evaluated clean-energy technologies and determined hydrogen fuel-cell buses to be the most cost-effective and environmentally responsible option for expanding service, reducing emissions and advancing zero-emission transportation across the region, according to the release.

The $9.7 million project is supported through multiple state and regional funding sources, including $4.4 million from the Washington state Department of Commerce Capital Legislative Appropriation, $2.75 million from the Department of Commerce Carbon Decarbonization, $1.8 million from TransAlta’s Coal Transition Capital Grant, and $812,400 from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.

The facility is located at 1697 Bishop Road in Chehalis.