Medicine Hat - The Southeast Alberta Hydrogen Task Force (Task Force), an independent working group created to establish a framework to implement a hydrogen economy in Southeast Alberta, was officially launched on Friday, August 13, 2021.
Invest Medicine Hat is leading a world-class Task Force composed of Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), City of Medicine Hat, City of Brooks, Palliser Economic Partnership, CF Industries, Methanex Corporation, APEX Regional Innovation Network (Alberta Innovates, Community Futures Entre-Corp and Medicine Hat College), RockPoint Gas Storage, Campus Energy, Envoy Energy and The Transition Accelerator. The Task Force will produce foundational tools that detail the opportunities available to advance a zero-emission fuel economy in Southeast Alberta.
The Southeast Alberta Task Force was modelled after the Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Hydrogen Task Force, whose research paved the way for the Edmonton Region Hydrogen HUB to be established.
“The City of Medicine Hat is proud to play a leadership role in establishing Canada’s second industrial hydrogen hub,” said Mayor Ted Clugston, City of Medicine Hat. “This foundational work will form the basis of a long-term, regional economic development strategy, with the goal of creating thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the local economy.”
Global hydrogen demand is forecast to grow exponentially in the coming decades as countries around the world drive to net zero. The Task Force will explore Southeast Alberta’s potential as a hydrogen hub, analyzing the region’s unique strengths and opportunities that could make it among the world’s lowest cost producers of low-carbon hydrogen.
The Task Force’s foundational study is the first step toward identifying broader economic opportunities associated with growing large-scale clean hydrogen production and use. The Task Force’s efforts will complement national and provincial hydrogen and natural gas strategies.
“The Southeast Alberta Task Force is the result of government and industry coming together to champion real change so Alberta can win economically and environmentally in a changing world,” said Dan Wicklum, CEO, The Transition Accelerator. “Picture Alberta using and supplying the world with zero-emission fuel made by upgrading natural gas or renewable energy. This could be a part of a very strong future for Alberta and Canada.”
“Alberta’s abundant, low-cost feedstock, skilled labour, and extensive infrastructure can make us a leader in the production, use and export of zero-emission hydrogen,” acknowledges Brad Maynes, managing director of Energy and Infrastructure, City of Medicine Hat. “In conjunction with our partners in the Southeast Region, we will play a key role in developing a framework that will power our economy and build our national and global reputation as innovators.”
Over the next six months, the Task Force will work collaboratively to set the stage for the long-term build out of a regional hydrogen economy. The Task Force’s foundational work will be completed in early 2022, with a final report summarizing the effort to follow.
To learn more about the opportunities for low-carbon hydrogen in Canada, visit https://transitionaccelerator.ca/our-work/hydrogen/ or https://www.investmedicinehat.ca/hydrogen.
