Canada has short window to get ahead of U.S. hydrogen efforts, backer warns

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz examines a hydrogen powered model car as they tour a trade show, Tuesday, August 23, 2022 in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Adrian Wyld

The chairman of the company behind one of the biggest proposed green hydrogen projects in Atlantic Canada says a three-year time frame to start shipping the fuel to Germany is feasible if everyone moves quickly.

John Risley is the chair of World Energy G2, a consortium looking for provincial approval to build a wind-powered hydrogen production facility in a port town on the western shore of Newfoundland and Labrador.

It is one of more than a dozen projects put on the table in Atlantic Canada in recent months as demand for hydrogen soars amid Europe’s energy supply crunch and growing concerns about climate change.

Risley says the hydrogen pact signed Tuesday by Canada and Germany was a “huge sparkplug” for the industry, and brings a lot more visibility to the projects.

But he says Canada is in a race to get into the supply chain queues for the products needed to build wind farms and hydrogen plants.

He says Canada should be particularly concerned about the tax incentives just offered to Americans who get hydrogen projects going within the next year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2022.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2022. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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