The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and HTEC, a Vancouver-based designer, builder, owner and operator of hydrogen supply solutions, are partnering to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen production and refueling infrastructure.
The CIB’s $337m loan will expedite and expand HTEC’s operations in British Columbia and Alberta. The investment will contribute to the implementation of HTEC’s full-service, sustainable fuel supply chain focused on reducing emissions in the transportation sector, called H2 Gateway, according to a news release.
HTEC plans to build and operate an interprovincial network of up to 20 hydrogen refueling stations to support the deployment of fuel cell vehicles and advance greener transportation solutions. The refueling stations will be supported by three new hydrogen production facilities located in Burnaby, Nanaimo and Prince George, and a facility that liquefies 15 tonnes per day of vented by-product hydrogen in North Vancouver. It is estimated that more than 280 full-time jobs will be created to build, operate and support the hydrogen infrastructure.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can travel long distances and have relatively short refuelling times, presenting a unique opportunity to decarbonize the commercial trucking sector. As part of this investment, 14 of the 20 new stations will enable the refuelling of up to 300 heavy duty vehicles per day.
Once fully operational, it is forecasted transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by approximately 133,000 tonnes annually.
H2 Gateway, an estimated $900m program is focused on building hydrogen transportation ecosystems.
The CIB’s financing will help accelerate the implementation of hydrogen technology and help mitigate uncertainty in the rate and pace of hydrogen adoption, which have historically been barriers to private investment in sustainable fuel production and infrastructure.
The partnership represents the third investment through the CIB’s Charging and Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure (CHRI) initiative, which is focused on expanding the private sector’s rollout of large-scale charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure.
The CIB’s investment builds on previous support HTEC has received from Canada to advance clean transportation, including $5 million from PacifiCan’s Business Scale-up and Productivity funding and $3 million from Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program for its 2-tonne-per-day low-carbon hydrogen production and liquid transfer facility in Burnaby, BC.
