HYDROGEN

There are few topics of greater consequence than the future of our energy sector, and our path forward grows more complex by the day. Businesses, customers, and citizens now face an energy trilemma: finding balance between affordability, reliability, and sustainability in how we access and use energy in our daily lives. We believe that hydrogen will play a critical role in solving this trilemma. 

By leveraging our natural gas resources, existing infrastructure, and energy expertise, Alberta can produce ultra-low emissions hydrogen at a lower cost than almost any other jurisdiction in the world. Hydrogen can play a powerful role in decarbonizing the production of heat, which is vital to achieve Canada’s long-term emissions and energy goals, particularly relevant to our cold Canadian climate.

Yes. As with natural gas, hydrogen can be produced, transported, stored, and used safely. Just like natural gas, it must be treated with respect and with proper care and handling. It is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, and non-poisonous gas that when burned produces only heat and water vapour—with no carbon emissions. 

At ATCO, safety is always the first and top priority in everything we do. We care deeply about our people and our customers and would never move forward with a project that is not safe. Our experts conduct numerous inspections and testing of the target network infrastructure and customers’ domestic appliances and piping to ensure safety.

Hydrogen is becoming central to the decarbonization plans in many advanced economies around the globe such as Australia, Germany, Japan, and South Korea.

No. Customers in the project zone will not be billed any differently than customers outside of the project zone. There will be a minor increase in the volume of gas needed throughout the network to provide the same amount of heat to homes and businesses. But because customers pay for energy consumed, not the volume of gas, there will be no change to the energy costs.

Blending hydrogen into natural gas is not a new technology, as there are several systems already in operation in Canada, Europe and Hawaii, as well as at our own Clean Energy Innovation Hub in Australia. Doing so reduces the GHG intensity of the natural gas stream, thus creating a lower carbon energy for our customers. With a focus on safety and affordability, ATCO has a long-term approach to managing and minimizing our environmental impacts and we continue to grow this and many other GHG reduction initiatives, contributing to Alberta’s and Canada’s greater climate goals.  

No. Extensive research has found that hydrogen blended into natural gas systems at ratios up to 20 per cent does not impact appliances. Be sure to check out our appliance testing video that shows how the different blends of hydrogen affect the look of the flame in a stovetop, furnace, and fireplace. Additionally, there will not be any noticeable change in your gas supply at five per cent blended gas - the look, sound, and smell will remain consistent.

Several hydrogen blending projects are currently operating in Canada, Europe and Hawaii. This is the  first project of its kind here in Alberta that uses existing local resources and infrastructure to blend hydrogen into a subsection of Fort Saskatchewan’s residential natural gas distribution system.