The Saskatchewan government is accelerating the development of a prospective hydrogen hub in the Regina-Moose Jaw region.
The Ministry of Energy and Resources, Whitecap Resources, and Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) will fund a foundation report study conducted by the Transition Accelerator and the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) to provide investors with a comprehensive analysis of commercial-scale hydrogen opportunities and synergies with carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) infrastructure in Saskatchewan.
Minister of Energy and Resources Bronwyn Eyre stated, “We are a global leader in CCUS and enhanced oil recovery, which have natural ties to blue hydrogen.” We anticipate that this research will increase private sector interest in Saskatchewan’s emerging hydrogen economy.
The global market for hydrogen is developing due to its increasing use in power production, transportation fuel, and chemical industry feedstock. The CCUS technology facilitates “blue hydrogen” projects.
In September 2021, the Government of Saskatchewan announced a number of new policy commitments to accelerate CCUS projects, including prospects for an infrastructure hub in the Regina-Moose Jaw industrial corridor. A hydrogen/CCUS hub in this region could facilitate the creation of a commercial-scale supply and demand chain for hydrogen in Saskatchewan.
Whitecap Resources and FCL signed a memorandum of agreement in October 2021 to study potential relating to carbon capture and utilization, increased oil recovery, and CO2 transportation infrastructure.
Grant Fagerheim, president and CEO of Whitecap Resources, stated, “Saskatchewan has played a key role in creating CCUS as an industry, and we anticipate it to harness this experience to assume a leadership position in the new hydrogen economy.” “Through our proposed CCUS infrastructure, which would enable commercial-scale generation of blue hydrogen, Whitecap and FCL have the ability to speed the transition to a lower carbon economy. We are thrilled to move forward with this study to assist private sector expansion.”
Heather Ryan, CEO of Federated Co-operatives Limited, stated, “The potential for a Hydrogen and CCUS Hub in Saskatchewan is intriguing because it would offer new opportunities for local industry right here in Saskatchewan.” “We are well aware that CCUS will play a significant role in the future of transportation fuels. We are investing in research to determine the role of hydrogen production in the transition to a low-carbon economy. We are thrilled and honored to be collaborating with the Government of Saskatchewan and Whitecap Resources on this vital research initiative.”
The Transition Accelerator (TA) is a pan-Canadian charity that creates positive, transformative system reforms to address social concerns and move Canada toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. TA established the country’s first two hydrogen hubs in Edmonton’s Industrial Heartland and southeast Alberta.
Transition Accelerator will receive a $100,000 grant from the Ministry of Energy and Resources to complete a Foundation Report. Whitecap Resources and FCL will each contribute an additional $50,000 in funding.
