David Eby wants to make Prince George a hydrogen hub

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In Canada, British Columbia attracts approximately 60% of investment in hydrogen and fuel cell research.

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As British Columbia seeks to reduce its greenhouse gases, Premier David Eby highlighted a proposed clean hydrogen project that could power the Canfor pulp and paper mill in Prince George.

He made the announcement at a natural resources forum in Prince George.

< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">The idea for this project comes from the Teralta company in Chilliwack. The aim is to use a hydrogen by-product from the company Chemtrade Logistics, which would be used to produce sodium chlorate for the pulp and paper mill.

Instead of being released into the air, the byproduct would be compressed and used to produce hydrogen. It would then be sent to the Canfor plant, which plans to reduce its natural gas consumption by 25%.

Each year, 500,000 gigajoules of clean hydrogen could be produced each year, reducing CO2 emissions by 700,000 tonnes over its lifetime of the project, estimates the president of Teralta, Simon Pickup.

British Columbia has the same ambitions as the president of Teralta. It also wants to use hydrogen to decarbonize its heavy industries.

As explained by Christina Hoicka, professor of civil engineering at the University of Victoria, hydroelectricity alone does not provide sufficient heat for certain industrial processes.

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Hydrogen, on the other hand, can achieve heat comparable to fossil fuels, such as natural gas. This is one of the reasons why hydrogen has become interesting for companies like Canfor who wish to reduce their carbon footprint.

David Eby says that this proposal represents a turning point in the development of hydrogen in British Columbia.

More than 50% of Canada's hydrogen and fuel cell companies are located in British Columbia. A project like Teralta will attract investors to Prince George.

A quote from David Eby, Premier of British Columbia

British Columbia has been banking on hydrogen for two decades. To attract investments from foreign companies and the federal government, in 2021 it published its strategy to develop clean hydrogen.

Several projects have only recently been launched, including a partnership with Newfoundland and Labrador and the use of hydrogen for heavy trucks.

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