Work is ready to begin on the world’s largest hydrogen refueling station being built in Prince George.
“It’s a long time coming, but I’m very happy to say that the wait and the effort have paid off,” said Hydra CEO, Jessica Verhagen.
“This will become a template that others can follow and replicate across the country and put Prince George on the map for the low carbon hydrogen industry.”
The new station, located on five acres at 9048 Sintich Road, will produce 3,250 kilograms of hydrogen every day and can refuel up to 24 Hydra-converted trucks each hour.
The fueling station will also allow for diesel fueling, so drivers only have to make one stop.
“Prince George is a big industrial hub, and with that comes trucks, and our focus is on Class 8 heavy-duty trucks,” Verhagen added.
“On top of that, it’s rough terrain with really heavy loads, so if we can do it in Prince George, we thought we could do it anywhere. Cold weather, on top of that, is another challenge for alternative vehicles, this provided a real testing ground for us to make sure we could get equivalent performance in all of these challenging conditions.”
BC’s Minister of Energy, Mines, and Low-Carbon Innovation Bruce Ralston added that the Northern Capital is what his ministry calls a ‘hydrogen hub.’
“Not only do you want to have production of hydrogen, but you also want to have other businesses that can benefit from it,” Ralston explained.
“There are other bigger companies in the hydrogen production business that are looking very seriously at Prince George for that very reason.”
“A lot of the elements that people look for for a successful launch of a new technology are all here in Prince George and the region, so I think that’s pretty exciting news for Prince George and its people.”
Verhagen added they’re hoping to add more refueling stations along Highway 16, connecting Northern BC and Northern Alberta.
“You can do longer service routes, right now we’re focused on our business development in Prince George on return to base,” Verhagen explained.
“It means they go out on a route and come back again at the end of the day, so they can refuel here. As you’re able to connect more locations, then you’re able to go longer distances. Our range is about 1,000 kilometres for one of these trucks.”
Hydra is also partnering with the Edmonton International Airport to build a similar project and is exploring another in Port Edward/Prince Rupert.
Hydra’s Prince George station is expected to be operational in early 2024.