Ottawa dedicates $9.7M to hydrogen technology development in Alberta
The latest cash injection into Alberta's budding hydrogen sector is nearly $10 million from Ottawa.
Government officials say the $9.7 million will be used to improve access to hydrogen technology, develop and test that technology, attract investment and develop training.
They made the announcement Tuesday morning at Alberta Motor Transport Association's facility at Edmonton's airport. The AMTA and University of Alberta together received about a third of the federal dollars – $3 million – to put on a hydrogen fuel showcase in February.
The event will give the heavy-vehicle industry an opportunity to test hydrogen technology, AMTA president Willie Hamel told CTV News Edmonton. Organizers are planning road tests of hydrogen-diesel dual-fuelled trucks and hydrogen-only fuelled trucks on Highway 2 between Edmonton and Calgary.
"It allows us to go and test this with our members right away, as opposed to waiting for a demand from the members' side. It really helps with adoption when people can see what the results are," Hamel commented.
He and his peers called that an important part of scaling Alberta's hydrogen production.
Governments expect the global hydrogen market to exceed $11 trillion by 2050.
"In order for us to unlock the potential, we need to create local demand here," Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said.
A trucking company which specializes in transporting precious metals and other high-value items has already jumped on board, running an armoured truck that runs on 40 per cent hydrogen and 60 per cent diesel.
"We are under the belief that, as a venture-owned and operated business, we have to put our best foot forward in making sure that we actually take action on our ESG story," VEXSL's founder and CEO Cole Fouillard said.
He gave the politicians at the news conference on Tuesday a ride in the truck.
"The future is in hydrogen gas and hydrogen fuel and so we are currently developing all of our new trucks with the capability to run hydrogen."
- Alberta green lights detailed study for 6 carbon storage hub projects around Edmonton
- New hydrogen-powered semis to be tested in Alberta, but they aren't cheap
- Plans for $1.3B net-zero hydrogen plant underway in Alberta's capital region
EDMONTON GLOBAL, C-FER OTHER RECIPIENTS
Edmonton Global, the agency tasked with growing the economy of Alberta's capital region, will receive $3.74 million for two hydrogen projects: $3 million will be put toward boosting investment-attracting strategies, like hosting the 2023 Canadian Hydrogen Convention; the remaining $744,000 will be used to build the supply chain and labour market.
The last $3 million of federal funding is going to Alberta Innovates subsidiary C-FER Technologies. The organization has two large-scale testing facilities in the capital city which it will use to test hydrogen products.
"We're looking at converting existing pipelines to carry natural gas and hydrogen… We're also looking at underground storage for hydrogen," C-FER's director of corporate services Brian Wagg explained.
"[The funding] is very big. It's all new equipment we have to buy. We are going to be challenging the world in producing these new testing systems."
The Alberta government is also contributing $3 million to the work through Alberta Innovates' Hydrogen Centre of Excellence.
"What is happening in Edmonton is positioning Canada as a supplier of choice to the world for clean hydrogen and the technologies that use it," said Dan Vandal, the federal minister in charge of PrairiesCan – or Prairies Economic Development Canada – which is delivering the federal dollars.
More than 1,600 jobs are expected to be created by the investment.
Canada's hydrogen strategy aims to create a total of 350,000 jobs in the hydrogen sector by 2050. Alberta's own hydrogen strategy outlines using hydrogen for power generation, industrial processes, transportation, and residential and commercial heating.
- Billions needed for Alberta to reach net-zero grid by 2035: report
- Alberta, aiming to be future home of Canadian hydrogen economy, searching for investment
- Alberta's investment in carbon capture technology not worth bang for buck, environmental group argues
Canada generates $200 million in hydrogen exports in a year, according to the federal government.
With files from CTV News Edmoton's Amanda Anderson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

'Shadows of children': For the youngest hostages, life moves forward in whispers
After seven weeks held hostage in the tunnels of Gaza, they are finally free to laugh and chat and play. But some of the children who have come back from captivity are still reluctant to raise their voices above a whisper.
Ibrahim Ali found guilty of killing 13-year-old girl in B.C.
A jury has found Ibrahim Ali guilty of killing a 13-year-old girl whose body was found in a Burnaby, B.C., park in 2017.
Protests at UN climate talks, from Israel-Hamas war to detainees, see 'shocking level of censorship'
Activists designated Saturday a day of protest at the COP28 summit in Dubai. But the rules of the game in the tightly controlled United Arab Emirates meant sharp restrictions on what demonstrators could say, where they could walk and what their signs could portray.
Marathon Conservative carbon tax filibuster ends after nearly 30 consecutive hours of House votes
The Conservative-prompted filibuster in the House of Commons ended Friday night, after MPs spent nearly 30 hours voting non-stop on the government's spending plans.
New U.S. aid for Ukraine by year-end seems increasingly of out reach as GOP ties it to border security
A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President Joe Biden. The impasse is deepening in Congress despite dire warnings from the White House about the consequences of inaction as Republicans insist on pairing the aid with changes to America's immigration and border policies.
Israel presses ahead with bombarding Gaza, including areas it told Palestinians to evacuate to
Israeli warplanes struck parts of the Gaza Strip in relentless bombardment Saturday, hitting some of the dwindling bits of land it had told Palestinians to evacuate to in the territory's south. The strikes came a day after the United States vetoed a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, despite its wide support.
Turkiye's Erdogan accuses the West of 'barbarism' and Islamophobia in the war in Gaza
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used a speech on human rights Saturday to accuse the West of "barbarism" for its stance on the Israel-Hamas war and what he alleged was its toleration of Islamophobia.
CSIS boss apologizes for response to rape claim, revamps anti-harassment plans
Canada's spy chief has apologized to staff for his response to rape and harassment allegations in the agency's British Columbia office.
Observers see OPEC 'panicking' as COP28 climate talks focus on possible fossil fuel phase-out
Veteran negotiators at the U.N. climate talks Saturday said that the push to wean the world from dirty fossil fuels had gained so much momentum that they had poked a powerful enemy: the oil industry.