Alberta looks to clean hydrogen future

CALGARY—Alberta is pitching a plan to develop a robust hydrogen industry.

Officials announced the Alberta Hydrogen Roadmap outlines the immense opportunity for government, industry and municipalities to grow Alberta’s hydrogen sector and position the province as an international leader in clean hydrogen.

“With a global market estimated to be worth $2.5 trillion a year by 2050, hydrogen could be Alberta’s next great energy opportunity,” said Premier Jason Kenney in a statement. “Alberta has been a global leader in responsible energy production for decades, and now we’re ready to apply that leadership to hydrogen. With Alberta’s Recovery Plan, we are laying the groundwork now to establish Alberta as a source of low-emitting hydrogen that can power Canada and the world for decades to come.”

In addition to exporting hydrogen globally, the roadmap lays out opportunities to boost the use of clean hydrogen within the province.

The province noted because hydrogen produces no carbon dioxide when used, it can drastically reduce emissions in a number of sectors, including heating, industrial processes, power generation and transportation. The roadmap includes specific and measurable policy actions that will allow hydrogen to be incorporated into the energy sources used across these sectors.

The hydrogen roadmap was developed with the input of representatives from more than 100 provincial, national and international organizations, including industry, environmental groups, the federal government, academics, municipalities and Indigenous organizations. The roadmap was identified as a key milestone in the Natural Gas Vision and Strategy, released in October 2020.