(Canadian Press)

By Canadian Press

Alberta government unveils road map with goal of becoming hydrogen export superpower

Nov 5, 2021 | 4:59 PM

EDMONTON – The Alberta government has released its road map to reach a goal of becoming a world leader in hydrogen exports by the end of the decade.

Premier Jason Kenney says Alberta is well-positioned with its existing energy infrastructure to become a global supplier of choice for hydrogen.

And he calls it a “game changer” in the climate change fight, given that hydrogen emits no greenhouse gases when burned.

He says the global hydrogen market is expected to become worth up to $2.5 trillion within the next 30 years.

The plan calls for catching up on clean hydrogen technologies in the short term before moving to growth and commercialization in the long term.

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Alberta is already the largest hydrogen producer in Canada at 2.4 million tonnes per year.

Invest Medicine Hat is leading a task force consisting of city officials in Medicine Hat, Brooks, and other partners with the hopes of bringing industry investment to the region.

The NDP, however, says the UCP’s Alberta Hydrogen Roadmap lacks the details and thoughtfulness required to actually create the certainty needed to attract investment and create the jobs Jason Kenney promised.

“It sets targets, but doesn’t actually provide a pathway to get there. It doesn’t even make a commitment in terms of much investment they are willing to contribute,” said NDP Energy Critic Kathleen Ganley. “Instead, it just focuses on programs that are already in place, many of which were put in place by previous governments.

“Not only is there no substance to the UCP plan but today, Associate Minister Dale Nally had the gall to say that last year no one expected the Hydrogen industry to develop so quickly,” said Ganley.

“Investors and innovators were not surprised and neither was Alberta’s NDP. Last year, we published our hydrogen paper ‘A New Energy Source For Alberta’s Future’ as the first set of proposals under our Alberta’s Future project, advocating for Alberta to become Canada’s first hydrogen hub.

“Today the Associate Minister also had to backtrack and admit he was wrong when he said Alberta didn’t have enough water to produce green hydrogen,” said Ganley.

“He was also wrong when he claimed our hydrogen strategy was unrealistic because we suggested we could begin exporting hydrogen by 2030 – today he adopted the timeline we presented more than a year ago. Both of those costly UCP mistakes sent a signal to investors and job creators that Alberta is not open for this business.

“So after talking down the potential for hydrogen for two years, we are glad that the UCP has finally presented their hydrogen plan.

“But, as always, the UCP are not leading the charge, they are at the back of the pack, and playing catch up to several jurisdictions that have moved very quickly to invest in building the foundations for their hydrogen sectors.

“Hydrogen represents a potential $100-billion dollar annual industry in Canada and over 60 per cent of Canada’s hydrogen currently comes from Alberta. We are the world’s second-lowest-cost producer.

“Under the UCP’s plan, Alberta risks being left behind. This comes at a time when our economy is still very fragile,” Ganley said.

(With files from rdnewsNOW)