Air Products intends to build a network of permanent, commercial-scale multi-modal hydrogen refueling stations stretching from Edmonton to Calgary in the province of Alberta, Canada.
“With abundant resources, tremendous talent and forward-thinking governments, Canada is driving the clean energy transition forward,” says Seifi Ghasemi, Air Products chairman, president and CEO. “Last year, Air Products announced our continued investment in western Canada with the first permanent, commercial-scale hydrogen refueling station in Alberta. Today, we build on that commitment with plans to build additional commercial-scale multi-modal hydrogen refueling stations, developing a hydrogen highway connecting Alberta’s two largest cities and enabling the continued development of the region’s hydrogen ecosystem.”
The permanent, multi-modal hydrogen refueling stations will be equipped to serve heavy-duty vehicles, such as commercial and municipal trucks and buses, as well light-duty hydrogen fuel cell cars. These stations will be along the Queen Elizabeth II Highway that runs through Calgary and Edmonton, providing a fueling experience and speed similar to gasoline or diesel. This hydrogen infrastructure will help western Canada reach a goal of 5,000 hydrogen or dual fuel vehicles on the road in five years.
“Each of our state-of-the-art, high-capacity, high-reliability stations will be able to fuel up to 200 heavy-duty trucks or 2,000 cars per day,” adds Rachel Smith, vice president and general manager, Air Products Canada. “In Canada, hydrogen is essential to decarbonizing transportation where heavy-duty vehicles travel long distances in extreme temperatures. We are excited to be activating Canada’s first hydrogen corridor here in Alberta.”
The first of Air Products’ permanent hydrogen refueling stations, located in Edmonton, near the site of the company’s net-zero hydrogen energy complex that is under construction, is scheduled to be onstream in 2025. Currently, Air Products has placed a temporary, hydrogen mobile fueler on the site that is supplying customers. The permanent Edmonton hydrogen refueling station is supported in part by $1 million (Canadian) in funding from Natural Resources Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program.
In addition, Air Products has a hydrogen mobile fueler at the Edmonton International Airport to provide hydrogen for the airport’s fleet of Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as well as a mobile fueler on Aurum Road ready to serve the broader Edmonton market.
As a leading supplier of hydrogen, Air Products has hands-on operating experience with over 250 hydrogen fueling station projects in 20 countries, and the company’s technologies are used in over 1.5 million fueling operations annually.
