The Quebec Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has issued Charbone Hydrogène an environmental permission certificate for the production of green hydrogen at the Sorel-Tracy plant.
On Monday, June 20, a groundbreaking ceremony was place on the grounds of the port complex, close to the former Hydro-Québec power plant.
This environmental authorization will eventually let Charbone to create up to 5,500 MW of green hydrogen for phases 1, 2, and 3.
Charbone has also acquired preliminary permissions from the City of Sorel-Tracy for civil works. The factory is situated on roughly 40,000 square meters of property that Charbone has leased from the City under a 25-year long-term lease.
In accordance with a binding agreement made on May 5, Superior Propane, a subsidiary of Superior Plus, will sell and distribute the hydrogen produced at the Sorel-Tracy facility on behalf of Charbone. Superior Propane will receive green hydrogen in a number of formats from Charbone, including individual cylinders, bundles, and bulk for industrial and future high mobility users.
Additionally, the company is targeting “green certification” with the Eco-Responsible Program, which it aims to acquire by the end of 2022, and B-Corp accreditation, which might be reached by the beginning of 2023. Charbone would be one of the first green hydrogen producers in Canada to receive this accreditation under this comprehensive sustainability initiative.
“What an exciting moment for the Charbone team and our shareholders to witness the start of construction of the first 100 percent green hydrogen facility in Quebec and, most likely, in Canada, dedicated entirely to the replacement of the gray industrial hydrogen currently used in the market and industrial processes. I am extremely proud of our team’s efforts over the past thirty months to get this project back on track and begin building “Dave Gagnon, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Charbone, stated in a press release.
“In the past thirty months, we have devoted our time, energy, and passion to the Charbone initiatives. What a momentous occasion it was when we gained environmental approval and began construction. A heartfelt thank you to the entire Charbone team, to our engineering partners who have been so dedicated to this project, to the City of Sorel-Tracy, and to all the stakeholders engaged in this amazing journey “said Charbone’s chief operating officer, Daniel Charette.