The Government of Alberta, through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) and Alberta Innovates, is committing $57 million in technology and innovation funding for 28 projects to advance a hydrogen economy, reduce emissions, and create jobs in Alberta. Projects cover the spectrum of hydrogen production, storage, transmission, distribution, and usage.
Premier Danielle Smith made the announcement today at the Canadian Hydrogen Convention. Funded projects include everything from installing hydrogen refueling infrastructure; testing a variety hydrogen-powered vehicles, equipment, and appliances; advancing retrofit kits for diesel engines; providing heat and power to a municipal recreation centre; and more
ERA, with funding from the Government of Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund, is committing $34.5 million for eight late-stage projects worth approximately $162 million through its Accelerating Hydrogen Challenge. Alberta Innovates is committing $22.5 million for 20 early-stage projects worth approximately $118.8 million through the Hydrogen Centre of Excellence – Competition 2.
ERA projects include:
Certarus
ERA Funding: $1,200,000 | Project Cost: $3,600,000
Scale-up and deploy hydrogen storage, compression, and blending equipment at an existing compressed natural gas hub.
City of Calgary
ERA Funding: $2,200,000 | Project Cost: $4,400,000
Pilot the implementation and testing of hydrogen vehicles and equipment to determine suitability and incorporation.
City of Edmonton
ERA Funding: $6,900,000 | Project Cost: $28,100,000
Demonstrate a methanol-to-hydrogen fueling system while integrating two hydrogen vehicle technologies to test fueling and vehicle performance.
Diesel Tech Industries
ERA Funding: $2,000,000 | Project Cost: $3,000,000
Advancing retrofit kits for diesel engines, allowing for the co-combustion of both diesel fuel and hydrogen gas.
Linde Canada
ERA Funding: $7,000,000 | Project Cost: $64,400,000
Install hydrogen production, distribution, and refueling infrastructure in Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan to supply hydrogen for fleet vehicles.
NuVista Energy
ERA Funding: $7,000,000 | Project Cost: $40,000,000
Demonstrate a pulsed-methane pyrolysis (PMP) technology to produce low-carbon hydrogen and a solid carbon byproduct.
Strathcona County
ERA Funding: $5,000,000 | Project Cost: $11,200,000
Install a hydrogen-fueled combined heat and power (CHP) system to provide heat and power at the Millennium Place Recreation Centre.
Thiozen Inc.
ERA Funding: $3,200,000 | Project Cost: $6,500,000
Produce hydrogen from hydrogen sulfide waste streams derived from sour gas and test at NuVista’s Wembley Gas Plant.
ERA projects were selected through a competitive review process. A team of experts in science, engineering, business development, commercialization, financing, and greenhouse gas quantification conducted an independent, rigorous, transparent review overseen by a Fairness Monitor. All ERA recipients will be required to report on project outcomes, achievements, and lessons learned including GHG reductions, job creation, and other environmental, economic, and social benefits.
A full list of Alberta innovates’ funded projects can be found here. Alberta Innovates received 95 expressions of interest for Competition 2. That was narrowed down to 45 projects that were invited to submit a full proposal. 37 reviewers, both internal and external to Alberta Innovates, provided reviews on the projects and 20 successful applications were recommended to Alberta Innovates’ Board of Trustees for funding.