The federal government is pitching a wad of cash to help build a new hydrogen facility on the North Shore waterfront, with the eventual goal of filling fleets of heavy duty trucks with the alternative fuel.
On Thursday, Ottawa announced a $49-million investment in HTEC for the construction of a hydrogen liquefier plant in North Vancouver.
The announcement came amid a blitz of federal funding this week, which included $1.5 billion for TransLink over 10 years, and $250 million for a floating liquid natural gas facility off the coast of Kitimat.
In a statement, the federal government said it would support HTEC’s $472-million project, which when built will capture and liquefy 15 tonnes of industrial by-product hydrogen per day, “turning waste into a valuable, clean fuel.”
The project to build B.C.’s largest clean hydrogen production facility is already underway, and will involve capturing the waste product of a neighbouring sodium chlorate plant that HTEC bought in 2022.
The new facility will be part of a larger effort called the H2 Gateway, a network of low-carbon refuelling stations in B.C. and Alberta. The HTEC network is said to include up to 20 refuelling stations, three hydrogen production plants and a fleet of 100 heavy-duty trucks powered by electric fuel cells.
Last year, Ottawa gave HTEC $337 million in low-interest loans for the H2 Gateway, and the province said it would provide up to $130 million in carbon credits, which the private company could sell to other firms trying to meet carbon-reduction commitments.
According to the federal government, the project will bring significant benefits to B.C.’s economy by maintaining 500 jobs.
“Once completed, the North Vancouver project will be the first full value chain ecosystem for heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks in Canada,” the press statement reads. “Over the next three decades, global demand for clean hydrogen is expected to increase tenfold. Matching supply and demand for hydrogen will facilitate the large-scale adoption of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.”
Low-carbon option needed for heavy trucking, energy minister says
Speaking to the North Shore News, North Vancouver MP and Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson said we need a low-carbon option to replace diesel in heavy trucking.
“That is a critically important part of the technology evolution to address climate change in the area of cars,” he said. “We obviously have electric vehicles, but we’re not as far along with heavy-duty trucking.”
As taxpayers worry about how a looming trade war with the U.S. will impact the domestic economy, Wilkinson said that investing in hydrogen infrastructure will create good jobs and other benefits from being a leader with the technology.
“It’s actually good for taxpayers that live in North Vancouver and in the broader Lower Mainland,” he said. “Yes, we are facing threats on the tariff side and from President Trump, and we do need to be addressing those in thoughtful ways, but we also have to ensure that we’re building an economy that’s going to be robust in the future … and this is part of building hydrogen infrastructure that will help us to be more resilient.”
Wilkinson, who is a former CEO of a hydrogen tech company and owner of a hydrogen car, said that hydrogen produced here can be used locally but also exported to countries like Japan.
The new industry will create fantastic jobs, he said.
“Particularly for young people who are interested in being part of companies that actually create economic value, but also are part of the environmental sustainability agenda,” Wilkinson said.
[email protected]
twitter.com/nick_laba
@nicklaba.bsky.social‬
Want to stay updated on North Vancouver and West Vancouver news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
