VANCOUVER — B.C. officials have announced $10 million in funding to build and operate 10 hydrogen fuelling stations in the province.
The funding will also support Hydrogen BC, a new entity of the Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA), with a focus on British Columbia. The group will co-ordinate stakeholders in the sector to promote and accelerate the use of hydrogen technologies in B.C., including fuelling stations and vehicles.
“For British Columbia to reach its CleanBC targets, we must shift how we produce and consume energy,” said Bruce Ralston, minister of energy, mines and petroleum resources, in a statement.
Ralston announced the funding in Vancouver at f-cell+HFC 2020, an online conference where international specialists discuss solutions for clean energy focused on hydrogen and fuel cells.
B.C. currently has the most comprehensive hydrogen fuelling network and the first public hydrogen fuelling station in Canada, states a release.
The province boasts only three public hydrogen fuelling stations currently with three more to open by the end of 2021. The three operating stations are in Vancouver, Burnaby and North Vancouver. The three stations under development are in Saanich, Kelowna and Burnaby.
The $10 million comes just before the release of B.C.’s hydrogen strategy. According to officials, the strategy will lay out a roadmap for how B.C. will meet its clean energy goals by supporting the use of hydrogen to reduce pollution and will identify more job opportunities residents.
The province noted fuel production and refining sectors will be able to create less carbon-intensive fuels for use in B.C.’s existing infrastructure. The natural gas sector can blend hydrogen into natural gas distribution systems to reduce pollution associated with generating heat and hot water. The transportation sector can use hydrogen in fuel-cell electric vehicles to help replace diesel used in medium- and heavy-duty transportation.
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