'Cutting-edge opportunity': Alberta seeking private investors to build hydrogen fuelling stations

A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is fueled up after a hydrogen fuelling station was unveiled in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday November 10, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Alberta's UCP government is looking for people who want to own and operate hydrogen fuelling stations.

A trio of provincial ministers issued a call for formal expressions of interest Wednesday with a deadline of March 10.

“Alberta has the potential to be a global hydrogen leader. To help make that reality, we need to have the infrastructure in place to support its use," Energy Minister Pete Guthrie said in a news release.

"Hydrogen fuelling stations could power heavy-duty commercial vehicles, help reduce emissions and support future adoption in other mobility sectors. We are a province driven by innovation, and I look forward to reviewing the proposals.”

Alberta is the largest hydrogen producer in Canada and the government wants to grow both the export industry and the use of the low-emission fuel in the local transport industry.

Earlier this month, the federal government invested nearly $10 million in growing the hydrogen industry in the province and the Alberta Motor Transport Association announced plans to test hydrogen-diesel dual-fuelled trucks and hydrogen-only trucks on Highway 2 between Edmonton and Calgary.

"Hydrogen fuelling stations could present many advantages to the heavy-duty transportation sector such as rapid refuelling, longer travel distances and the ability to support heavy payloads. This paves the way for more jobs and economic growth," Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said in the new release.

Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, called hydrogen a "cutting edge opportunity" for Alberta.

The government is looking for potential investors to provide information including ideal locations, cost estimates, delivery and storage protocols and safety plans.

The global hydrogen market is expected to exceed $11 trillion by 2050, according to governments.

There are only six public hydrogen refuelling stations in Canada and zero in Alberta, according to a federal government list.

The fuel is more popular in California, where there are dozens of stations listed, most of them in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas.