The news comes as the provincial government works on plans to grow the hydrogen sector, viewed as a key part of its diversification goals. The government announced Tuesday it's backing Canadian Utilities' project with $2.8 million through a program, run by Emissions Reduction Alberta, that aims to spur innovation in the natural gas sector. "It's got incredible growth potential," Dale Nally, Alberta's associate minister of natural gas and electricity, said of the hydrogen sector in an interview. Several jurisdictions worldwide, including England, are trying blending hydrogen into their natural gas systems as part of efforts to reduce emissions associated with home heating. The environmental think tank says "grey" hydrogen made by extracting it from natural gas using a thermal process, like steam methane reformation, offers little to no climate benefit.

Source: CBC News July 22, 2020 02:26 UTC