Air Products, Lehigh, Penn., announced on June 9 that in conjunction with the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta, it plans to build a C$1.3 billion landmark new net-zero hydrogen energy complex, with the goal of making Edmonton, Alta., the center of Western Canada’s hydrogen economy and set the stage for Air Products to operate the most competitive and lowest-carbon-intensity hydrogen network in the world. The company expects the production and liquefaction facility to come onstream in 2024. The initial unit is expected to produce 400/mtd of hydrogen, with expansion plans made for additional units.
“As the global leader in hydrogen production, Air Products is focused on providing competitive solutions for our customers,” said Dr. Samir Serhan, Air Products’s Chief Operating Officer. “The combination of multiple facilities, state-of-the-art technologies, our existing 55-kilometer Alberta Heartland Hydrogen pipeline, our project execution expertise, and our record of reliable operations will set the benchmark for competitive hydrogen to support growth in Alberta for many years to come. Air Products has decades of hydrogen fueling experience around the world and we are excited and ready for the developing market in Canada.”
The company said the new project will capture over 95 percent of the CO2 from the feedstock natural gas and store it safely back underground. Hydrogen-fueled electricity will offset the remaining 5 percent of emissions. The company said the clean energy complex will help refining and petrochemical customers served by its hydrogen pipeline reduce their carbon intensity. It said it will also provide emissions-free fuel for the transportation industry, especially heavy-duty vehicles, and generate clean electricity.
Air Products said it is already Canada’s leading hydrogen supplier, and it is also considering further investments in both existing and new hydrogen facilities in Alberta and across Canada. It said the existing Alberta pipeline was designed for growth and the capability to more than triple current volumes.
Air Products Canada currently operates three hydrogen production facilities in Alberta, as well as the 55-kilometer pipeline. It also operates a production facility in Sarnia, Ont., along with a 30-kilometer pipeline.
The new project has been approved by Air Products’ Board of Directors, subject to final completion of the agreements contemplated in signed Memorandums of Understanding between Air Products and Canadian authorities, and with appropriate permit approvals.
In other news, Air Products reported on June 9 that it will collaborate with Baker Hughes, Houston, which provides advances hydrogen compression and gas turbine technology, on future global hydrogen projects.