Hydrogen has promise for Alberta: Neudorf
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 14, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com Hydrogen production and technology has many promising opportunities for the province, says MLA for Lethbridge East and Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf.And the province “continues to be a destination of choice for investors and innovators in the hydrogen sector,” Neudorf said in a statement after promoting the hydrogen market at the 2024 Energy Council annual meeting in the U.S.
“The world is looking to hydrogen as a way to significantly reduce emissions in hard to abate industries. Hydrogen is expected to be an up to $11-trillion industry worldwide by 2050, and Alberta is already emerging as a clear leader in this market. As the largest hydrogen producer in Canada, Alberta has the resources, business-friendly environment and expertise needed for a competitive advantage,” said Neudorf’s statement.
“There is already enormous interest in Alberta’s hydrogen sector, with announcements from major international companies looking to establish hydrogen production projects in the province. Our Hydrogen Roadmap and the progress our government has made on it has positioned Alberta as a major competitor in the global hydrogen market.
“In 2022, we established the Clean Hydrogen Centre of Excellence to accelerate tech and innovation across the hydrogen value chain. Through this, along with Alberta Innovates, Emission Reduction Alberta and the Alberta Petrochemical Incentive Program, we are providing hundreds of millions in funding to more than 100 new hydrogen projects across the province. This includes projects like Linde’s new $2-billion clean hydrogen production facility, Dow’s Path2Zero project, Edmonton International Airport’s fleet of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, hydrogen fuelling stations and more,” it adds.
The MLA and minister says that the provinces’ natural gas utilities system provides “a unique opportunity for hydrogen” and the government is exploring policy options and legislative amendments to better enable hydrogen within that system.
In April, the province announced it was investing $57 million to support new hydrogen technologies that it says will reduce emissions, grow Alberta’s economy and help the province power the world.
That investment is slated to develop 28 new hydrogen technologies.
This year, Linde Canada announced it was going to build a clean hydrogen and atmospheric gases facility in Fort Saskatchewan’s industrial heartland. The province is providing $7 million in funding to Lind to install hydrogen production, distribution and refueling infrastructure in Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan to supply hydrogen for Edmonton Transit.
In January, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dave McNally told The Herald that electric vehicles are not a realistic alternative to gasoline and diesel-powered cars and trucks in Alberta. But hydrogen power is.
“Alberta is the biggest producer of hydrogen in Canada. We already have a hydrogen economy and our experts are telling us that by 2050 we can expect hydrogen to be an $11 trillion industry. We are positioned well in Alberta so we are taking a serious look at hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” the Minister said. 3
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