First Hydrogen Corp. has selected the City of Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada to develop its first green hydrogen ecosystem, according to a news release.
The company has conducted site evaluations and has now formally commenced the process to secure and develop respective sites for the local production of green hydrogen and the assembly of First Hydrogen zero-emission commercial vehicles.
First Hydrogen’s project plan is to produce up to 50 MW of green hydrogen using advanced electrolysis technology and distribute the hydrogen within the Montreal-Quebec City corridor for use with First Hydrogen’s light commercial vehicles (LCV) as well as supporting other hydrogen-fueled vehicles and applications in the region.
First Hydrogen LCVs are planned to be assembled in Shawinigan for distribution throughout North America in combination with the Company’s Hydrogen as a Service product offering. The assembly factory will be designed for an annual capacity of 25,000 vehicles per year when at full capacity and will represent a major boost to green technology jobs in the region.
The Company’s strategy is a close match with the Province of Quebec’s “Plan for a Green Economy” and the “2030 Quebec Green Hydrogen and BioEnergy Strategy” both targeting reduced dependence on fossil fuels, energy autonomy and green prosperity through the use of green hydrogen to decarbonize and strengthen its economy. Further, the Province of Quebec provides a stable and supportive environment for First Hydrogen’s project through its economic, innovation and energy policies and programs aimed at accelerating the pace of the green energy transition.
The project is also consistent with recent federal government announcements supporting green hydrogen and low-carbon fuels initiatives.
Rob Campbell, CEO of Energy for First Hydrogen, says: “Shawinigan, Quebec is a great place for First Hydrogen to plant the flag in North America. Quebec’s first hydroelectric company was established there in 1898 and Shawinigan has a strong history of energy and industry working together. The City and the region are very well positioned with its green energy resources, industrial community and growing green energy economy. It will be also very important to closely collaborate with the regional education network to create the required skills of tomorrow. The region is already the home of the l’institut de recherche en hydrogène de l’UQTR (IRH). Founded in 1994, IRH is one of Canada’s leading institutions in hydrogen research. We wish to thank the City of Shawinigan and Investissement Québec for their ongoing support for this exciting project.”
Balraj Mann, chairman & CEO First Hydrogen states: “We are seeing strong market support for our holistic product offering of zero-emission LCVs and green hydrogen. Customer pull combined with strong Quebec and Canadian policy support has convinced us that now is the time to move forward with this first project. Engineering studies are planned to commence in early 2023. Our announcement today coincides with the unveiling of our next-generation hydrogen fuel cell-powered light commercial vehicle in the coming weeks.”
