South Korea aims to fight Japan's Fukushima decision in world tribunal

By Hyonhee Shin 

© Reuters/POOL FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered officials on Wednesday to explore petitioning an international court over Japan's decision to release water from its Fukushima nuclear plant, his spokesman said, amid protests by fisheries and environmental groups.

Japan unveiled plans on Tuesday to release more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water into the sea from the plant crippled by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, starting in about two years after filtering it to remove harmful isotopes.

South Korea strongly protested against the decision, summoning Koichi Aiboshi, Tokyo's ambassador in Seoul, and convening an intra-agency emergency meeting to craft its response.

Moon, at a separate meeting on Wednesday, called for looking into ways to refer Japan's move to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, including filing for an injunction, his spokesman Kang Min-seok told a briefing.

Moon also expressed concerns about the decision as Aiboshi presented his credentials, having arrived in South Korea in February for the ambassador's post.

"I cannot but say that there are much concerns here about the decision as a country that is geologically closest and shares the sea with Japan," Moon said, asking Aiboshi to convey such worries to Tokyo, according to Kang.

A series of protests against the move by politicians, local officials, fishermen and environmental activists took place in South Korea on Wednesday, including in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul and consulates in the port city of Busan and on Jeju island.

A coalition of 25 fisheries organisations staged a rally and delivered a written protest to the embassy, urging Tokyo to revoke the decision and Seoul to ban imports of Japanese fisheries.

"Our industry is on course to suffer annihilating damage, just with people's concerns about a possible radioactive contamination of marine products," it said in a statement.

The progressive minor opposition Justice Party and some 30 anti-nuclear and environmental groups called Japan's move "nuclear terrorism," and said they sent the Japanese embassy a list of signatures of more than 64,000 people opposed to the move collected from 86 countries since February.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Japanese regulator bans restart at nuclear plant over safety breaches

Justin McCurry in Tokyo 

THE GUARDIAN 4/14/2021

The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been prevented from restarting its only operable atomic facility after a series of safety breaches, dealing a significant blow to Japanese attempts to resume nuclear power generation.© Provided by The Guardian Photograph: AP

Japan’s nuclear regulator is to issue a “corrective action order” on Wednesday that would ban Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) from transporting new uranium fuel to its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata prefecture or loading fuel rods into its reactors

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© Photograph: AP The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata prefecture.

The move in effect prevents Tepco from restarting the facility’s seven reactors, which it hopes would turn around its finances a decade after one of its two plants in Fukushima suffered a triple meltdown.


Tepco had hoped to bring two of seven reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa – the world’s biggest nuclear power plant with a capacity of 8,212 megawatts – back online to cut its operating costs by more than $800m (£580m) a year.

In March, however, it was heavily criticised after a series of safety and security breaches came to light, including an unauthorised employee accessing sensitive areas of the facility and a failure to protect nuclear materials.

Media reports said Wednesday’s decision was the first time the nuclear regulation authority – which was formed after the March 2011 disaster – had in effect banned a utility from operating a nuclear power plant.

Tepco has not commented on the move, but its shares fell by almost 4% in afternoon trading in Tokyo. The company has until late September to submit a report to regulators outlining improvements in the way it handles nuclear materials.

The agency will assess the changes before possibly removing the corrective order, a process that could take at least a year.

Tepco has said it can save $827m in fuel costs annually by restarting Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’s No 6 and 7 reactors, which have been offline since at least 2012.

When all seven of its reactors are in operation, the plant can generate enough power for 16m households.

Tepco is facing an enormous bill for decommissioning costs and compensation claims by residents living near the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi plant.

The regulator’s decision came a day after the government announced that Tepco would release more than 1m tonnes of contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi into the Pacific Ocean, prompting an angry response from local fishers and neighbouring countries.

Reuters contributed to this article

Disaster-ready Swiss rethink iodine handouts as nuclear plant offline

© Reuters/ARND WIEGMANN FILE PHOTO: Swiss energy company BKW's Muehleberg nuclear power plant and the Aare river are seen in Muehleberg

ZURICH (Reuters) - The closure of a nuclear power plant near Bern in Switzerland is disrupting more than energy supplies: it has also led to a rethink of how the nation doles out iodine tablets for people to swallow in the event of an atomic catastrophe.

For years, the country at 10-year intervals has handed out potassium iodide tablets to residents within 50 kilometres (31.07 miles) of the nuclear stations that historically have accounted for a quarter of Swiss energy production.

Businesses also get a separate supply.

Now the country has shuttered its 355-megawatt Muehleberg power station near Bern and is dismantling the reactor that operated from 1972 to 2019, the next round of tablets due to be handed out come 2024 - the old ones are due to expire then - must be reconfigured.

In 2014, the last time Switzerland handed out iodine, it gave tablets to nearly 5 million people in 1.9 million households, in 1,350 communities.

The government did not immediately say if fewer tablets would be going out the next time, as Muehleberg will be offline. The Swiss population has grown, from about 8.1 million in 2014, to 8.6 million, so that could make up the difference.

The government said on Wednesday the upcoming distribution will cost 15 million Swiss francs ($16.31 million), with operators of Switzerland's remaining three nuclear power stations - Beznau, Goesgen and Leibstadt, all located not far from the German and French borders - paying 11 million francs of the total cost.

Switzerland also swaps out iodine pills it separately gives to cantons outside the 50 km radius every decade for emergency distribution, with that last exchange in 2020.

Potassium iodide helps protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine that might be released in a radiation emergency.

Such deliveries are normal, with U.S. states, including Delaware, also distributing tablets to residents within 10 miles of plants. France handed out free tablets to 2.2 million people two years ago.

($1 = 0.9196 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by John Miller; editing by Barbara Lewis)

Saskatchewan eyes small nuclear reactor advancements with 3 other provinces

By Anna McMillan Global News
Posted April 14, 2021 


Premiers Doug Ford, Blaine Higgs, Scott Moe and Jason Kenney held a virtual press conference on Wednesday regarding Alberta joining Ontario, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan in exploring the feasibility of small modular nuclear reactors as a clean energy option.

Alberta has joined Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick in their effort to advance small-scale nuclear technology in Canada.

On Wednesday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney signed on to a memorandum of understanding for advancing small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) technology. The agreement was previously signed by New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan in 2019.

READ MORE: Four provinces to sign memorandum of understanding to explore small nuclear reactors

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said SMRs are a clean energy option that can help address climate change.

“There’s no reason at all that we couldn’t be participating in the… production and some of the early investments in this technology for the benefit of people across this nation,” Moe said at a news conference on Wednesday


READ MORE: Experts weigh in on possibility of nuclear energy in Saskatchewan

SMRs are smaller than nuclear plants and produce less energy. Advancing the technology could create jobs and attract investment, Moe said.

Former Saskatchewan environment minister Dustin Duncan previously projected SMRs won’t be established in the province for many years.
Feasibility study

The four provinces also released an SMR feasibility study, which says the technology could support domestic energy needs while curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

The study highlighted three SMR project proposals, with completion timelines as early as 2026 and as late as the 2030s.

The MOU calls for the provinces to create a joint strategic plan, expected to be complete this spring.

Video: 4 provinces join forces to explore possibility of small nuclear reactors as clean energy source (Global NewsDuration: 02:04

Five things about Canada's proposed small modular nuclear reactors

OTTAWA — Alberta's Jason Kenney became the fourth Canadian premier to sign an agreement supporting the development of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in Canada on Wednesday. Kenney signed a memorandum of understanding with the premiers of Ontario, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The provinces also released a feasibility report prepared by Ontario Power Generation, Bruce Power, NB Power and SaskPower which gives a potential timeline for development and deployment of SMRs and assesses their competitiveness with other non-emitting energy sources.

Here's five things you should know about SMRs:

What are SMRs?

SMRs are nuclear reactors that produce less than 300 megawatts of electricity. Because they are smaller than traditional nuclear power plants, which generally produce 800 MW and up, they are expected to be cheaper to build, scalable to meet specific industrial and remote community needs and, according to the report, will have the "potential" to be competitive with other low-carbon forms of energy.

When are they expected to be in use and where?

According to the feasibility study, Canada's first grid-scale SMR project of about 300 MW is expected to be in place at the Darlington nuclear site in Ontario by 2028, followed by up to four similar units in Saskatchewan with the first in service in 2032. The technology and developer are to be selected by the end of this year.

An advanced SMR design is also to be developed in New Brunswick resulting in demonstration units at the Point Lepreau, N.B., nuclear site by 2030. Meanwhile, a new class of "micro SMR" is being designed to replace diesel use in remote communities and mines — a 5-MW gas-cooled reactor project is proposed at the Chalk River nuclear site in Ontario and is expected to be in service by 2026.

What is the federal role in developing SMRs?

The feasibility study says that "cost and risk-sharing with the federal government" is an important part of developing SMRs, noting they support Canada’s goals of phasing out coal by 2030 and becoming a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050. Federal Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan has said nuclear power is essential to meeting Canada's climate-change goals.

Are SMRs considered to be safe?

Proponents argue that new applications, simplified designs and advanced technology give SMRs an enhanced level of safety, building on Canada's reputation as a safe and well-regulated leader in nuclear energy.

What do opponents of SMRs say?

More than 100 environmental, anti-nuclear, community and other Canadian groups signed a statement in November declaring SMRs a “dirty, dangerous distraction” from tackling climate change. They argue the fight against global warming can't wait for the technology to be proven and deployed and warn SMRs will cost more than other low-carbon energy alternatives, won't create as many jobs and will result in new streams of dangerous nuclear waste.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2021.

LAVAL IS THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY HUB OF CANADA
Montreal suburb becomes first Quebec municipality to ban Roundup weed killer

LAVAL, Que. — A suburb north of Montreal has become the first city in Quebec to ban the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in weed killer Roundup.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

Officials in Laval, Que., adopted the new bylaw on Tuesday.

The city is also banning the use in urban areas of pesticides known as neonicotinoids as well as the cosmetic use of pesticides on lawns. Agricultural and horticultural businesses are exempt from the bylaw.

"Once again, the city is acting as a regional leader in environmental matters," executive committee member Virginie Dufour said in a statement, calling the ban "a significant action to protect health and the environment."

Laval says biological insect-management agents known as biopesticides will still be permitted, as will low-impact pesticides.

The city says in the statement that the measure is aimed at protecting human health, pollinating insects, wildlife and natural spaces. It plans to deploy patrols to raise public awareness of the new rules.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2021.

The Canadian Press

Climate policy is important, but the bigger challenge is cultural change

Jennifer Marlon, opinion contributor 

THE HILL

4/14/2021

The Biden administration's bold new moves on climate change are setting the U.S. on a new path toward reducing its effects in the coming years. Changing the institutional rules that guide the actions of agencies, corporations, organizations and individuals is vital to reducing carbon pollution. But cultural change is arguably the bigger challenge. Much like the efforts and laws that now make cigarette smoking so abhorrent to many, changing the way individuals perceive and respond to global warming can lead us toward a healthier future. Acting now to reduce pollution is also similar to the principle behind quitting smoking - stopping earlier allows more time for recovery and will limit the worst outcomes down the road.

© Getty Images climate change crisis greenhouse gas emissions biden joe president 310 companies open letter paris agreement goals 2030 2 degrees

Audience research, long employed in public health campaigns and by the private sector, can also be used to improve communication about climate change. Understanding what people already think about it, more so than just knowing how different demographic groups respond, can yield insights into key knowledge gaps and misperceptions. Knowing your audience can help you meet them where they are, which can lead to better communication outcomes.

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason Center for Climate Communication developed an audience analysis for climate change communication called "Global Warming's Six Americas'' framework. Drawing on 12 years of nationally representative surveys including more than 25,000 participants, they identified distinct groups among the public who interpret the issue in different ways. Each has unique climate change beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that fall into six broad categories:

1) "The Alarmed" (26 percent) are convinced global warming is happening, human-caused, an urgent threat and strongly support climate policies.

2) "The Concerned" (29 percent) also think human-caused global warming is happening, a serious threat, and support climate policies, but they tend to think climate change will harm future generations or people and places far away rather than their own communities or families.

3) "The Cautious" (19 percent) are unsure whether global warming is happening or not, what is causing it and how serious it is.

4) "The Disengaged" (6 percent) know little about global warming as they rarely or never hear about it.

5) "The Doubtful" (12 percent) doubt that global warming is happening. They believe if temperatures are rising, it is due to natural rather than human causes, and thus they do not support policies to address carbon pollution.

6) "The Dismissive" (8 percent) are certain that global warming is not happening, most endorse conspiracy theories and see the issue as a hoax.

The surveys also asked, "If you could ask an expert on global warming one question, which question would you ask?" They found three types of responses. The Alarmed and Concerned primarily want to know about solutions. Their main question is: "What can I do about climate change?"

The middle segments (the Cautious and Disengaged) want to know "What harm will climate change cause, and why should I care?"

The Doubtful and Dismissive want to know "How do you know global warming is happening and human-caused?"

These results point to different information needs among the American public about climate change. The Alarmed and Concerned want information about solutions and especially solutions that empower them to act. Shifting toward a plant-based diet, purchasing carbon offsets and buying energy efficient appliances or vehicles are all actions that can help stabilize our climate. Joining others already engaged in action is perhaps the most powerful because of the rapid information sharing that can occur through organized networks.

The Cautious and Disengaged need information about why climate change should matter to them and their local communities. They probably don't realize, for example, that air pollution from burning fossil fuels is already responsible for one in every five deaths globally, and that communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately affected. In fact, there are many ways that we are already paying the costs of burning fossil fuels for energy - we just haven't been keeping our receipts. Switching to renewable energy can bring benefits to our health and wallets. For example, when an Arkansas school district switched to solar, over $300,000 a year was saved, which helped fund a raise in teacher's salaries as a result.

The Doubtful and Dismissive may be surprised to learn that the physics behind global warming have been known for over a century, but they will be most open to hearing from people they already trust. Making the link between small-scale and larger-scale actions starts there.

Regardless of which group any individual belongs to, almost all of us underestimate how much Americans worry about this issue. In fact, the number of folks most worried, the Alarmed category, is growing faster than any other group - doubling in size in the past five years. This misperception is damaging because it acts as a barrier to dialogue as people anticipate disagreement or conflict where there is none, leading to what has been called a "spiral of silence." In reality, the vast majority of Americans want more news and information about climate change.

Sharing resources and information in a way that addresses each group's fundamental questions is what needs to happen now. One resource that seeks to answer this call to action is Yale Climate Connections - a set of audio stories, articles and videos that provide reliable and accurate information about the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change. When educators, community groups and individuals can find resources that best match the needs of their unique audiences, people across the Six Americas can better connect - and better understand the realities of climate change.

It's up to us, those who know what's coming, to better inform ourselves and focus on solutions. We have to learn how to help others in our networks understand key questions and answers about climate change while also communicating with people who need help engaging with the facts. It's a heavy lift. A whole planet is heavy. But now is the time to act.

Jennifer Marlon is a public voices fellow of the OpEd Project at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and a lecturer in Yale's School of the Environment.

China ‘must shut 600 coal-fired plants’ to hit climate target

Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent

THE GUARDIAN, 4/14/2021

China must shut down nearly 600 of its coal-fired power plants in the next 10 years, replacing them with renewable electricity generation, to meet its goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, a report has said.

© Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock 

Wind turbines in Gansu, Wuwei, China, pictured in November 2020.

But replacing the 364GW of coal generation with renewable power would achieve a net saving of $1.6tn (£1.2tn) over the period, since wind and solar power are now much cheaper than coal, according to the analysis company TransitionZero.

The coal consumption of China, the world’s biggest emitter, is of global concern. The country has ramped up plans for new coal-fired power stations in an effort to spur economic growth after the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Last September the country’s president, Xi Jinping, surprised the world by pledging that China would achieve net zero emissions by 2060, and that its emissions would peak before 2030.

Related: Urgent policies needed to steer countries to net zero, says IEA chief

However, while climate experts have applauded the long-term goal they are concerned that allowing emissions to rise for the next 10 years will bust the global carbon budget.

Video: Making space for solar (France 24)

Matthew Gray, the co-chief executive of TransitionZero, said: “If China fails on coal, the rest of the world will fail on containing dangerous climate change. But the stars are now somewhat aligning on breaking China’s addiction to coal.”

The finding that China could save money in both the short and longer term by replacing coal with renewable energy brightens the prospect of it moving decisively away from coal in the next few years.

Al Gore, who wrote a foreword to the TransitionZero analysis, said: “This shows that not only can China meet their climate goals, the country and its leaders can accelerate them rapidly. The economic opportunity presented by a transition from coal to clean energy shows that climate action and economic growth go hand in hand.”

China is preparing to submit a new climate plan, called a nationally determined contribution, or NDC. Such plans are a requirement for all countries under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, and will form the key part of Cop26, the vital UK climate talks taking place in Glasgow this November.

António Guterres, the UN secretary general, has urged China to move swiftly away from coal, but the International Energy Agency has warned that China’s coal consumption is rebounding strongly after the shock of Covid-19.

Gray said the transition away from coal would still be difficult politically since the fuel was “deeply embedded” in China’s economy and society. Vast amounts of infrastructure, from railways carrying coal from mines across the country, to steel and cement plants, are reliant on coal today.

The new report, said Gray, did not examine jobs in detail, but he said a transition from coal to clean energy in China was likely to create as many, if not more, jobs as had been lost in traditional coal industries. “Moving to net zero will be jobs intensive,” he said.

Reducing the country’s reliance on coal would also bring many health benefits, for instance by cutting air pollution, and go some way to easing looming water shortages in central Chinese regions, Gray added. Coal-fired power stations require vast quantities of water, in increasingly water-stressed regions.

ANTI-CLIMATIC
House Republican leadership details three-day climate event to counter Biden's Earth Day summit

Josh Siegel 

WASHINGTON EXAMINER

4/13/2021

House Republicans plan to hold a three-day forum next week to present their ideas on addressing climate change and counter a climate summit event President Joe Biden is hosting on Earth Day with top greenhouse gas-emitting countries

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© Provided by Washington Examiner

The Washington Examiner reported on the House Republican plan as it was emerging last week, but it was provided additional exclusive details by a GOP leadership aide.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, conceived the plan to demonstrate that the GOP has its own agenda to address climate change but that the party disagrees with the aggressive path being charted by Biden and Democrats in Congress.

“It’s designed to give members a chance to present our ideas,” a GOP leadership aide familiar with the plan told the Washington Examiner. “We don't have one giant bill to address climate like the Biden administration’s top-down infrastructure plan because climate is a really diverse regional topic, and the way you will approach it will differ depending on your district.”

The GOP forum will be held virtually from April 19-21, just ahead of the April 22-23 Leaders’ Summit on Climate hosted by Biden, in which the administration is expected to unveil a new target under the Paris climate agreement to cut U.S. emissions by 2030, a move meant to build momentum for other countries to make similarly aggressive commitments.

House Republicans will roll out a counteragenda to promote clean energy innovation but won’t include a specific mandate or target to cut emissions. As many or more than 30 members from across the Republican ideological spectrum will participate in the House forum, including members from the conservative Freedom Caucus and centrist Tuesday Group, the GOP leadership aide said.

It will also include the top Republicans on various committees: Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of the Energy and Commerce Committee; Bruce Westerman of the Natural Resources Committee; Frank Lucas of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee; Sam Graves of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; Glenn Thompson of the Agriculture Committee; and Garret Graves of the Select Committee on Climate Crisis.

Republicans are planning a couple of hours of coverage each of the three days (much of it prerecorded but some live content) to be broadcast on McCarthy’s website. Lawmakers will discuss their legislation and speak with business leaders and others who could benefit from their policies.

Of the 10 to 15 bills discussed each day, there will be measures promoting research and development of clean energy technologies, a new version of the “Trillion Trees Act,” critical minerals legislation, efforts to streamline permitting under the National Environmental Policy Act, and elements to support carbon capture projects and finance of pipelines to carry captured carbon dioxide to where it can be stored underground.

Another bill would require Biden to report to Congress before he submits a target to reduce emissions under the Paris Agreement and for the administration to provide evidence for why the goal is achievable and economically viable.

Biden has promised to announce an aggressive pledge before or at his climate summit for the United States to cut emissions by 50% or more by 2030.

House Republicans also plan to underscore their opposition to carbon pricing and other policies that “regulate and tax fossil fuels out of business,” the GOP aide said.

Biden does not include a carbon tax as part of his green infrastructure plan, but Republicans are looking to prove that the support of oil and business lobby groups for carbon pricing won’t persuade GOP lawmakers to move off their longtime opposition.

“It’s important we draw a clear line on a carbon tax,” the aide said. “There has been this a bit of question mark as to whether the industry stance changes how the conference thinks about this issue, and the answer to that is no.”

GREEN HYDROGEN
Energy firm outlines plans for major hydrogen project that will use UK's largest electrolyzer

Anmar Frangoul  CNBC, 4/14/2021

The project planned for Scotland will be situated near the 539 megawatt Whitelee Windfarm.

Hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in sectors such as industry and transport.

© Provided by CNBC The proposed hydrogen project will be located near Whitelee Windfarm, a major facility near Glasgow, Scotland.

ScottishPower has submitted plans to develop a major "green" hydrogen facility that it says will use the U.K.'s largest electrolyzer.

In a statement earlier this week the energy company, a subsidiary of Spanish utility Iberdrola, said the project would be located near Glasgow, Scotland.

It's envisaged that the development will use a 20 megawatt (MW) electrolyzer and be powered by a 40 MW solar farm and a battery storage scheme of 50 MW.

On Monday, ScottishPower said the project would also use wind power and be able to produce as much as 8 metric tons of green hydrogen every day.

If authorities approve the plans, the facility could start supplying the commercial market before the year 2023.

Described by the International Energy Agency as a "versatile energy carrier," hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in sectors such as industry and transport.

It can be produced in a number of ways. One method includes using electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen. If the electricity used in the process comes from a renewable source such as wind or solar then some call it "green" or "renewable" hydrogen.

The project planned for Scotland will be situated near the U.K.'s largest onshore wind farm, the 539 MW, 215 turbine Whitelee facility.

ITM Power will deliver the electrolyzer while ScottishPower Renewables will provide the wind and solar power. Industrial gas company BOC will handle the development's engineering and operations.

While the vast majority of today's hydrogen generation is based on fossil fuels, the last few years have seen a number of companies develop projects centered around green hydrogen production.

In March, for example, it was announced that a major green hydrogen facility in Germany had started operations. The "WindH2" project, as it's known, involves German steel giant Salzgitter, E.ON subsidiary Avacon and Linde, a firm specializing in engineering and industrial gases.

The same month also saw Danish energy company Orsted outline proposals to construct a large-scale offshore wind farm in the North Sea and link it to renewable hydrogen production on the European mainland.

Under the plans, Orsted would develop a 2 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind facility and 1 GW of electrolyzer capacity.

The company claims this would result in "one of the world's largest renewable hydrogen plants to be linked to industrial demand."

BLUE HYDROGEN
'The race is on': Launch of Edmonton region hydrogen hub announced with $2 million funding

Canada’s first hydrogen hub launched Wednesday in Alberta with a $2 million joint-government funding announcement.

Lisa Johnson 

EDMONTON JOURNAL

4/14/2021

3

© Provided by Edmonton Journal The Alberta government announces a strategy to expand the natural gas sector in Edmonton on Oct. 6, 2020, and seize emerging opportunities for clean hydrogen, petrochemical manufacturing, liquefied natural gas and plastics recycling.


The Edmonton region hydrogen hub aims to kickstart the development of the local hydrogen economy, although a strategic plan is still being developed and a timeline of specific next steps is yet to be announced.

Alanna Hnatiw, hub chairwoman and mayor of Sturgeon County, said its work will serve as a blueprint for other hydrogen development across the country.

“The race is on and we will move as quickly as possible to be a part of the market,” said Hnatiw at the announcement. She added that with interest in local hydrogen from countries looking to import, Canada’s domestic industry has the potential to be worth up to $100 billion a year.

The new funding will go to technical, economic analysis and help convene government, Indigenous, academic and economic development leaders to plan how best to produce and sell hydrogen.

Enoch Cree Nation Chief Billy Morin, vice-chairman of the Edmonton region hydrogen hub, said the hub would set the stage for Indigenous participation in the clean-energy emerging sector.

“Two million dollars might not sound like a lot of money today, but it’s enough to start planning and turn those ideas into more structure,” said Morin.

Jim Carr, special representative of the Prairies. Jim Wells/Postmedia

Jim Carr, the federal government’s special representative for the Prairies, said he anticipates major hydrogen investment announcements in the coming weeks and months.

“What we’re announcing is a platform upon which so much more will be built,” said Carr.

Alberta is aiming to export blue hydrogen made from natural gas using carbon capture and storage, which has some carbon emissions. Green hydrogen is made from water using renewable power and creates zero emissions.

Carr said there are opportunities across the spectrum, reflecting the federal government’s endorsement of blue hydrogen as optimal for large-scale, low-cost production to meet demand in its hydrogen strategy.

“They will attract different kinds of investments, staged at different times, but all of them carry great opportunity,” said Carr.

The hub’s launch comes as countries around the world set net-zero emissions targets and plan to develop hydrogen economies.

With support from the Transition Accelerator , a charity focused on the move to net-zero emissions, planning is underway for more than 25 potential projects related to the supply, delivery and use of low-carbon hydrogen.

Transition Accelerator president and CEO Dan Wicklum said in the coming months and years, people will begin to see trucks, buses and trains operating with hydrogen power.

“(And), you’re going to see some traditional energy companies pivoting from one product mix to a different product mix,” he said.

Wicklum said Japanese authorities expressed that they care about emissions, but they also care about the price of the hydrogen they plan to import.

“They quite strongly said that instead of waiting for green hydrogen to become economically viable, they would absolutely want to start right now,” he said, adding Japan’s market size for hydrogen could be as high as 10 million tonnes of hydrogen per year by 2050.

The $2 million funding envelope includes $1.2 million from Western Economic Diversification Canada, $600,000 from Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association and $450,000 from the provincial government through Emissions Reduction Alberta.

Dale Nally, Alberta’s natural gas and electricity associate minister, said cooperation among the hub’s backers showed an important Team Canada approach.

“Really this is about a clean energy future, and blue hydrogen is ready now,” he said.

lijohnson@postmedia.com

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