HTEC will create 20 hydrogen fueling stations for the transport industry

British Columbia continues to support companies that focus on hydrogen with federal support. In North Vancouver, the HTEC company announced on Friday that it had received more than $130 million from the province and a loan of $337 million from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) to notably develop a network of refueling stations. in hydrogen for the transport industry.

The project H2 Gateway, with a total cost of $900 million, plans to operate up to 20 stations, including 18 in British Columbia and two in Alberta. They will be supported by three new electrolyzers Burnaby, Nanaimo and Prince George, and a new facility in North Vancouver. Fourteen stations will be able to refuel up to 300 heavy vehicles per day.

According to HTEC, more than 280 full-time jobs are expected to be created and greenhouse emissions from the transport sector could be reduced by 133,000 tonnes per year.

For Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada, this new step in this sector is exciting. He also personally confided in driving a hydrogen car.

We must put in place conditions that will allow technological development, technological demonstration and, ultimately, commercial deployment [dans ce secteur]. […] Hydrogen presents a huge opportunity for Canada in virtually every region of this country.

Seven pilot projects underway across the country, adds Jonathan Wilkinson, demonstrate how hydrogen can help power our trucks, buses and trains, decarbonize our industries and heat homes and businesses.

“Years of work” for HTEC

Colin Armstrong, CEO of HTEC, explained that these investments are the result of many years of work.

We can’t really ride [avec l’hydrogène] to Prince George today, but our goal is to get there, especially for heavy vehicles.

In Alberta, experts say fuel infrastructure must follow for hydrogen vehicles to be used more widely.

In 2021, British Columbia became the first province in Canada to release a comprehensive hydrogen strategy. The Prime Minister David Eby explains that in the past, whether during the 2010 Olympic Games, or the “hydrogen highway” project between Vancouver and Whistler, there was a lack of either access to fuel or vehicles.

HTECH has identified this gap in the ecosystem, and they are bringing the pieces together into a comprehensive network targeting a specific sector, medium and heavy transportation rather than small consumers hoping they buy hydrogen cars or hoping that the demand will finally appear.

“A high-risk sector”

For François Girard, program advisor on hydrogen technologies at the National Research Council of Canada, this announcement, A very good newsactually responds to a vicious circle between the number of vehicles and stations available.

This is still a high-risk sector. […] With hydrogen, we need refueling stations and […]even today, it’s still a little too risky [pour le secteur privé] to go there alone. So the commitment, the partnership between governments and industry is still necessary for now.

He says there are three stations in the Vancouver area for light vehicles, one in the Victoria area and soon another at the University of British Columbia.

John Casolahead of investments of the BICexplained that the BIC announced more than $500 million in British Columbia this week, including $75 million to BC Ferries for the purchase of four zero-emission ferries and $150 million for the port of Prince Rupert. This partnership with HTEC, he says, was not easy to conclude.

It’s complex, a liquefaction installation, three electrolyzers, 20 charging stations, an external investment, these are very sophisticated agreements.

Josie OsborneMinister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, specified that the agreement notably includes a green hydrogen installation at Burnabywhose construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and which uses renewable electricity to reduce emissions.

Jonathan Wilkinson And David Eby both regretted the fact that not all political leaders are convinced of the advantages of hydrogen.

François Girard explains that the hydrogen issue has evolved over time, from highlighting environmental aspects to now possible economic benefits. If there are economic benefits, I could say, regardless of the color of the government, there will be a certain attitude towards that.

Domestically, more than 50% of Canadian hydrogen and fuel cell companies are located in British Columbia, said David Eby. By 2035, Ottawa hopes to have a 100% clean new vehicle fleet (New window).

According to François Girard, the future of hydrogen in British Columbia will probably target the decarbonization of transportation, the decarbonization of industries and exports, particularly to the Asian market. From now on, he believes, British Columbia will be competitive with California, which is the largest North American hydrogen market.