Pike & Ross Counties — Advocates for a new industry and the first development at the former Piketon atomic plant recently met with the Ross County Commissioners.
Wiley Rhodes, co-founder of Trillium H2 Power, and Caitlin Holley, vice president, shared details about their technology and objectives during a Monday meeting.
“Trillium Piketon” will be the first project on the now-vacant land at the federal reservation in Pike County. The company currently holds 80 acres there and plans to begin their $1.8 billion project once they acquire an additional 20 acres in the coming months, with a total of 250 acres in their sights.
Rhodes emphasized that the technologies involved—air separation, ammonia production, and silicon production—are all proven, but Trillium, based in Texas, has pioneered their integration to create economies of scale. The company also plans to incorporate large-capacity carbon sequestration at the site.
Rhodes explained that they aim to produce 1,200 metric tons of clean ammonia and 90 tons of silicon metal per day. While ammonia is typically used in fertilizers, he noted that it can also serve as a carrier for hydrogen in a low-carbon economy, supplementing or replacing natural gas.
Rhodes mentioned that the feasibility of the project led them to propose converting a diesel-electric locomotive at the Norfolk Southern railroad facility in Portsmouth to hydrogen fuel.
As the demolition of the A-Plant nears completion, Rhodes said many workers from that process could find job opportunities with Trillium Piketon.
The company is collaborating with SODI and PORTSFuture—organizations focused on redeveloping over 3,000 acres at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site, impacting the four-county region of Jackson, Pike, Ross, and Scioto counties.
Trillium Piketon’s website outlines their goals:
“Decarbonizing the US Economy – creating permanent, highly-skilled, local manufacturing and engineering jobs.
A U.S. first-of-a-kind project integrating an air separation unit, partial oxidation reformer to produce hydrogen, an ammonia and silicon plant, a hydrogen power plant, and carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration technology for permanent CO2 geologic storage.”
The website states they plan to start an 18-month construction phase, employing 2,100 people, and aim to be operational by the end of 2027, with 280 permanent jobs.
Holley mentioned a social media site should be live by September, and Rhodes confirmed they will participate in the upcoming “meet the developers” events on September 24th and 25th.
