what fuel are they talking about saying new fuel in utah could make oil obsolete

They’re almost certainly talking about green hydrogen in Utah — hydrogen made with renewable electricity from water, not a fuel dug out of the ground. In the Utah project being discussed, solar and wind power are used to create hydrogen, which can then be stored and later burned for electricity, with a long-term goal of replacing natural gas entirely.

What it is

Green hydrogen is made by splitting water with electricity from clean sources like solar or wind. That means it can be used as a stored energy source rather than a fossil fuel.

Why people say it could “obsolete” oil

The idea is that if hydrogen becomes cheap and scalable, it could replace fossil fuels in some big uses, especially power generation and heavy industry. In the Utah case, the project is framed as a way to store excess renewable energy and use it later when demand is high.

What’s actually happening in Utah

The article is about the Intermountain Power Project near Delta, Utah. It is planned to start with a mix of hydrogen and natural gas, then transition to 100% hydrogen by 2045.

Important caveat

This does not mean oil is about to disappear. Hydrogen is still expensive, infrastructure is limited, and most current plans are aimed at power plants, storage, or industrial uses rather than replacing every use of oil.

TL;DR

The “new fuel” is hydrogen , specifically green hydrogen made from renewables. It’s being pitched as a cleaner replacement for some fossil-fuel uses, but not as an instant oil killer.