City hopeful as they aim to become second hydrogen hub in Canada

(Derek Brade/CHATNewsToday) An employee works at the Methanex facility in Medicine Hat. Methanex is one of the partners of the newly established task force that hopes to make the region a hydrogen hub

By Tiffany Goodwein

Aug 13, 2021 | 6:06 PM


MEDICINE HAT, AB– It has been dubbed a $100 billion a year industry by provincial energy analysts, and now the city of Medicine Hat, and the southeast region are hoping to become the second industrial hydrogen hub in all of Canada.

A task force, consisting of city officials in Medicine Hat, Brooks, and other partners has formed with the hopes of bringing industry investment to the region. Methanex, which produces hydrogen and CF Industries are also included as members, something the city said is key to their strategy.

“The intent of the task force is to essentially establish the parameters for creating a new hydrogen economy for southeast Alberta and, ultimately what that means in new jobs and new industry,” said Erik Van Enk, director of investments and strategic planning with Invest Medicine Hat

Van Enk said the task force is hoping to establish the region for hydrogen production specifically blue hydrogen and green hydrogen, a net zero product that is fuelled by renewable resources.

The first industrial hydrogen hub was established in Edmonton earlier this year.

Mayor Ted Clugston said the region is well-positioned to become a hydrogen hub due to its exiting infrastructure and other factors.

“ So with the blue hydrogen we have methane and we have carbon storage. When you refract the methane molecule you can’t be admitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That totally defeats the purpose so hopefully, we can start putting it back in the ground with some of our old gas wells,” Clugston said.

The city also said their access to renewable resources such as solar and wind farms also gives them an edge, in comparison to Edmonton when it comes to producing green hydrogen.

“The hub in Edmonton is more geared towards blue hydrogen and the use of gas to power the electrolysis process, and what we are looking to do is likely have more of a green hydrogen angle given the abundance of solar and wind projects in South East Alberta,” Van Enk said.

In 2014 the city started to exit the oil and gas industry, as prices began to tank, and they are hopeful hydrogen production will bring jobs, that skilled oil and gas workers can transition to.

“ The same skill sets required to extract oil and gas, a lot of the same infrastructure, pipelines, some of the wells in the area can actually be repurposed, in terms of monitoring wells, for a carbon capture utilization and so that is the overall vision here, is putting people back to work,” Van Enk said

A study that looks at the viability of the region as a hydrogen hub is underway and will be completed in early 2022.