Canada’s first hydrogen HUB launches in the Edmonton Region backed by over $2 million in funding from three levels of government
Source: · THE TRANSITION ACCELERATOR · | April 14, 2021
Source: The Edmonton Region Hydrogen Hub
April 14, 2021, Edmonton, AB – Picture a future for the Edmonton Region where buses, trains, heavy trucks, home heating and farm machinery all run on zero-emissions hydrogen fuel, an essential component of the new clean energy system. The region has established itself as a leader in Canada’s energy transition through the production, use and export of low-carbon hydrogen, ushering in a wave of clean energy jobs and ensuring a strong economic future.
This is the vision for the Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB launched today by an alliance of government, Indigenous, academic and economic development leaders to kickstart the Edmonton Region’s low-carbon hydrogen economy and position the region, Alberta and Canada for success as the world shifts towards a low-carbon future to address climate change.
Backed by $1.2 million in funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), $600,000 from Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association and $450,000 from the Province of Alberta through Emissions Reduction Alberta, the HUB’s leadership team includes Chair and Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw, Vice-Chair and Enoch Cree Nation Chief William Morin, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Gale Katchur, Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank, Lamont County Reeve David Diduck and Alexander First Nation Chief George Arcand Jr. The Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB is also supported by The Transition Accelerator and Edmonton Global.
The HUB’s launch comes as countries around the world set net-zero targets and identify hydrogen as a vital low-carbon fuel. A final report released by Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force outlined that Canadian hydrogen has a wholesale market potential of up to $100 billion a year and identified the Edmonton Region as the best launch point for a pan-Canadian hydrogen economy.
The region is well-positioned for success because it has one of the lowest hydrogen production costs in the world, existing experience in hydrogen production, a vast network of pipeline infrastructure, and suitable and existing sites for carbon capture, utilization and storage which are necessary to upgrade natural gas into hydrogen for use as a low-carbon fuel. The report also found that the best way to quickly achieve sufficient scale for a strong Canada-wide hydrogen economy is through the creation and deliberate connection of regional hydrogen HUBs across the country.
The Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB is an example of an early hydrogen deployment HUB as outlined in the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada and will serve as a blueprint of how to accelerate a strong regional hydrogen economy that can be replicated in other regions across the country with low-cost, low-carbon hydrogen.