BC hydrogen plants will create hundreds of jobs, reduce emissions: Eby

The British Columbia government says a $900 million project to create a network of hydrogen production plants and refueling stations will create nearly 300 jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank is providing a $337 million loan to support hydrogen company HTEC’s project, which involves plans to build up to 20 hydrogen refueling stations, 18 of them in British Columbia and the rest in Alberta .

1:59
Alberta’s first commercial hydrogen fueling station to open in Nisku

The federal Crown corporation and the British Columbia government say the gas stations will be supplied by three new hydrogen production plants in Burnaby, Nanaimo and Prince George.

They say a facility to liquefy 15 tonnes of by-product hydrogen will also be built in North Vancouver, and the project, called H2 Gateway, will create more than 280 jobs.

2:04
Canada agrees to sell hydrogen to Germany

The project is designed to support hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that the government says can travel long distances and have short refueling times, and 14 of the new stations will be able to refuel up to 300 heavy vehicles per day.

Premier David Eby, who attended the project announcement along with federal Natural Resources’ Jonathan Wilkinson and other officials, says the H2 Gateway represents an economic and job-creating opportunity and a way to reduce pollution.

The British Columbia government says the H2 Gateway could reduce emissions by about 133,000 tonnes a year.