The British Columbia government is allocating $4 million to support the BC Hydrogen (BCH2) Ports Project — one of the first of its kind in Canada. .“We’re working to reduce emissions in BC's commercial transport sector, which accounts for about 60% of transport emissions and 25% of total provincial emissions,” said BC Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon Innovation Minister Josie Osborne in a press release. .“Hydrogen will be essential in helping BC make the transition to cleaner energy solutions as we work toward meeting legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets.”.The release said the BCH2 Ports Project is a collaboration between public and private sectors designed to show made-in-BC technology to support the province’s decarbonization goals. It is the province’s first large-scale project to use hydrogen and fuel cells in the shipping and transportation sectors. .Ports are often high-emission sources of greenhouse gases and air pollution. The release acknowledged this pilot project is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 110 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year — the amount of energy used annually by about 21,400 homes. .It said the Canadian collection of companies behind the project is led by clean hydrogen business HTEC. The BCH2 Ports Project will feature HTEC’s higher-capacity fuelling station, serving heavy-duty hydrogen electric vehicles. .The hydrogen-fuelling station will be located at a Parkland Corporation cardlock site on Tsawwassen First Nation land. HTEC will be responsible for the clean hydrogen supply for the project. .The release went on to say the project will have four fuel-cell electric yard trucks and two Class 8 drayage trucks it will lease to fleet operators. It added the fuel-cell electric trucks are being developed by hydrogen business Hexagon using its storage system and high-energy density lithium ion battery packs. .For the duration of the pilot project — expected to begin in early 2024 — these vehicles will be operated by Harbour Link Container Services, Tidewater Container Services, and BC Ferries Commercial Services, which will go throughout the Port of Vancouver..Provincial funding for this project comes from two CleanBC programs aimed at encouraging industry to move to zero-emission vehicles — the Commercial Vehicle Pilots Program and Advanced Research and Commercialization — and significant spending from the collective’s members. .HTEC President and CEO Colin Armstrong said his business was excited to team up with hydrogen companies to support BC’s decarbonization efforts. .“Advancing low-carbon hydrogen projects, while deploying hydrogen electric heavy-duty vehicles and hydrogen-fuelling infrastructure to support them, will help propel the drive to a zero-emissions future,” said Armstrong. .“We hope that this project will pave the way for similar actions across Canada in the future and help the country reach its net-zero goals.”.Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson met with German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck in March to announce a joint declaration on hydrogen development. .READ MORE: VAPOURWARE: Canada and Germany sign commitments to develop hydrogen and clean energy; LNG curiously absent.The agreement aims to develop global certification standards and explore ways to identify and accelerate hydrogen investments on either side of the Atlantic Ocean..He met up with his French and German counterparts to accelerate production and export of clean hydrogen and develop carbon intensity standards to facilitate a global market between Canada and its trading partners.
