Terrace city officials believe the Skeena Industrial Development Park just south of the Northwest Regional Airport would make a great location to split hydrogen from water and turn it into a low emission fuel.<\/p>\n
Four companies with the money to build a hydrogen plant have already visited the location and city officials continue to tap into a provincial grant to attract interest, city lands and economic development manager Michael Pucci has reported to council.<\/p>\n
The $150,000 grant comes from the province to the Northern B.C. Hydrogen Hub, a collection of local governments from Prince George to Prince Rupert.<\/p>\n
Pucci described Terrace as the hub of northwestern B.C. for its hydrogen-producing potential.<\/p>\n
"With access to water, industrial acreages and a container terminal at the port in Prince Rupert that is serviced by rail and transport trucks, it is ideal for distribution to industrial users of hydrogen," he wrote.<\/p>\n
The prospect of using hydrogen as a fuel is necessary if BC is to achieve net-zero status by the provincial government's target date of 2050, he added.<\/p>\n
By definition, net-zero means a complete end to using any fossil fuel.<\/p>\n
What makes B.C. attractive is that the vast majority of its power comes from hydroelectricity which is regarded as a clean power source and it is electricity that is used in the electrolysis method to split oxygen and hydrogen, the atoms that make up water.<\/p>\n
As a gas, hydrogen can run an internal combustion engine directly or be used in a fuel cell.<\/p>\n
Pucci said the gas can be used for transportation, including industrial transportation, for industrial purposes and to replace natural gas and diesel fuel.<\/p>\n
Potential hydrogen producers face one barrier, the ability of B.C. Hydro to supply the power needed to produce the fuel.<\/p>\n
One way of dealing with that is to encourage independent power producers using wind or renewable methane and to work with First Nations, Pucci said.<\/p>\n
"Staff are in the process of building an environment where independent power can occur in the Terrace area in order to overcome BC Hydro's capacity issues," Pucci said.<\/p>\n
The planning includes a close relationship with the Kitselas First Nation, a partner with the city in the ongoing development of the Skeena Industrial Development Park.<\/p>\n
The development park is approximately 2,000 acres, 1,200 of which were sold to a Canadian company financed by Chinese business interests in 2014.<\/p>\n
The sales agreement hinged upon the new owners completing certain civic works milestones. When that did not happen, a buyback agreement was triggered so the property, along with whatever civic works were completed, are back in the hands of the city and the Kitselas.<\/p>\n
The return of the property became official last fall, spurring a renewed effort to find companies to use the park.<\/p>\n
To date, city officials have spent approximately $25,000 of the $150,000 sent by the province to the Northern B.C. Hydrogen Hub.<\/p>\n
That's been spent on attending conferences, paying for booths at those conferences, memberships in associations promoting hydrogen, buying logo materials and logo development, Pucci said.<\/p>\n
"Staff continue to attend strategic hydrogen-focused conferences in 2024," he added.<\/p>\n
The Northern B.C. Hydrogen Hub had a booth at a major hydrogen conference at the end of May in Houston, Texas and is slated to be at a Seattle conference in February 2025.<\/p>\n
Although the hub is made up of northwestern B.C. local governments, Pucci said it is making an effort not to undermine individual municipalities' activities.<\/p>\n
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