Fueling the future with hydrogen

A low-carbon energy transition is underway, spurring dramatic shifts in how the world produces and consumes energy. Advancing a hydrogen energy system will play a large role in this transition for Canada.

The City of Medicine Hat is a leading participant on the Southeast Alberta Hydrogen Task Force, an independent public/private working group established in August 2021, to develop a framework to implement a hydrogen economy in Southeast Alberta.

Why hydrogen?

Canada has reaffirmed its commitment to cut greenhouse gases (GHG) by 40-45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and has further identified key industrial sectors for emission reductions, such as transportation, oil and gas, electric generation, and agriculture. This requires the immediate pursuit of zero emission alternatives such as hydrogen, across all regions of the country.

Our vision is to replace the economic impact of the oil and gas sector that once was this region’s primary economic driver. Using similar infrastructure and labour skillset, hydrogen is the path toward a clean and sustainable future.

The development of hydrogen fuel in Southeast Alberta will have a positive impact on both our economy and our environment by creating high quality jobs for Alberta’s energy workers while helping Canada to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Our government’s support for this initiative is contributing to evidence-based analysis that will create new opportunities for industry, investors and other stakeholders in the Prairies and across Canada.

The Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan

About the Southeast Alberta Hydrogen Task Force

The Southeast Alberta Hydrogen Task Force is an independent public/private working group established in August 2021, to develop a framework to implement a hydrogen economy in Southeast Alberta. The Task Force is comprised of municipalities, economic development agencies and private industry:

• Prairies Economic Development Canada
• Government of Alberta
• City of Medicine Hat 
• Brooks Newell Region
• Palliser Economic Partnership
• APEX Regional Innovation Network (Alberta Innovates, Community Futures Entre-Corp and Medicine Hat College)
• CF Industries
• Methanex Corporation
• RockPoint Gas Storage
• Campus Energy
• ComTech Energy (4Refuel) and
• The Transition Accelerator

The Task Force will produce foundational tools that detail the opportunities available to advance a zero-emission fuel economy in Southeast Alberta.

The Task Force’s foundational study is the first step toward the establishment of a Hydrogen HUB and identifying broader economic opportunities associated with growing large-scale clean hydrogen production and use in the Southeast Alberta Region.

Hydrogen is a vital part of our future clean energy system, and it also represents a tremendous economic opportunity. This report provides the strategic context needed for Southeast Alberta to leverage its regional strengths, expand its role in Canada’s hydrogen transition, and create a foundation for long-lasting economic success.

Dinara Millington, Western Network Lead for The Transition Accelerator

Next steps

Following the publication of Towards Hydrogen, the Task Force will actively engage with public and private stakeholders and funding providers to work towards establishing a formal Hydrogen HUB in Southeast Alberta, providing education and awareness campaigns about hydrogen and initiating hydrogen pilots and projects.

Calls to action

Upon establishing the Southeast Alberta Hydrogen HUB, the Towards Hydrogen report recommends four strategic calls to action:

1. Move forward with CCUS development as quickly as possible to address existing CO₂e emissions, establish low-cost blue hydrogen generation, and begin to address regional demand and attract synergistic industry,
2. Initiate discussions with regulatory and renewable power proponents to include green hydrogen as part of long-term electric generation strategy for use as both a product and a generation fuel to optimize existing transmission capacity, maximize regional generation capacity factor, and capture of excess non-peak renewable energy,
3. Establish regional hydrogen demand by building fueling stations and return-to-base operations along Trans-Canada transport corridor. Assemble a “Coalition of the Committed” — industry, associations, transport fleets, municipal fleets, and rail operations — to create supply and demand partnerships, and
4. Build external demand from other domestic (Calgary, Lethbridge, Swift Current) and US (Montana, California, Mid-West) supply-deficient locations. Utilize existing road and rail transport infrastructure to build demand with at-scale supply of hydrogen and hydrogen carriers, to position the region for larger long-term export infrastructure and opportunities.