Hydrogen Canada Corp. has closed a $10m seed round and signed a letter of commitment on an offtake agreement with E1 Corporation, to develop a low-carbon hydrogen/ammonia supply chain from Western Canada to South Korea and other Asian markets.
HCC intends to develop a world-scale, low-carbon hydrogen/ammonia production facility in the Alberta Industrial Heartland near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, according to a news release.
“This project represents an opportunity to use cost advantaged, low carbon natural gas in Alberta to support the decarbonization of South Korea and other Asian countries and to provide a level of energy security to those countries as well,” said Bryan Moon, Hydrogen Canada’s president. “Access to cost effective carbon sequestration also creates a material strategic advantage for this project in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland. Our partner, E1 Corporation, is major trader of LPG in Asia, including significant volumes of Canadian LPG and it recognizes the marketability of low cost, reliable energy products sourced from western Canada“.
The government of South Korea has committed to Net Zero by 2050 and is seeking to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. South Korea has stated that it believes that the use of hydrogen and ammonia for power generation and mobility will support those efforts. South Korea already has one of the largest fleets of hydrogen cars and refueling stations in the world and continues to expand that market. The South Korean government is putting in place long term energy plans to support the adoption of hydrogen and ammonia in energy generation to reduce the carbon footprint and is running auctions for the long-term supply of hydrogen for fuel cells through the Korean Power Exchange. Alberta is currently one of the leading areas in Canada for production of ammonia and HCC’s Project is another opportunity to support development of a hydrogen and low-carbon economy.
“Drawing from its extensive LPG industry expertise and inherent strengths, E1 is positioning itself as a leading supplier of clean ammonia, hydrogen, and LPG in South Korea,” said E1 Corporation Chairman JY Koo. “The foundation for this ambitious endeavor lies in the partnership with Hydrogen Canada Corp., which promises to deliver cost-effective, low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia to South Korea, made possible by Canada’s abundant and affordable natural gas resources, a robust CCUS infrastructure, and the strategic advantage of shorter maritime routes from Western Canada to the Far East.”
Initial feasibility studies with respect to the Facility have been completed by HCC and the facility has an anticipated design capacity of approximately one million tonnes per annum of low-carbon ammonia. The facility is also planning to utilize innovative technology to capture and permanently sequester a significant amount of the CO2 emissions. The low-carbon ammonia will be transported via rail to Canada’s West Coast and then shipped to South Korea and other Asian markets.
