The McLeod Lake Indian Band is exploring the development of Canada’s largest hydrogen project.
The proposed project would be located at the Kerry Lake East Indian Reserve, located about 80 km north of Prince George, and is expected to cost more than $5 billion to build, a statement released by the band on Thursday said.
“We are very excited about this project’s potential and by Mitsubishi Power's intent to partner with us,” Chief Harley Chingee said. “We have made quick progress in less than a year towards a project that will provide jobs and sustainable revenue for the McLeod Lake people for decades to come and help meet overseas demand for clean Canadian hydrogen. We are working closely with Mitsubishi Power Americas which is developing a number of hydrogen hubs in the United States, including a utility-scale clean hydrogen hub already under construction in Utah.”
The project concept calls for the production of ‘green hydrogen’ – derived from non-fossil fuel sources – and ‘blue hydrogen’ produced from natural gas, while storing the carbon dioxide emitted. Ammonia production is also anticipated to be part of the development.
“The Tse’khene Energy Transition Hub is ideally suited for the development of large-scale industrial development,” project CEO Dave LaVallie said. “The site is proximal to all the required infrastructure for clean energy export projects.”
Chingee met with Premier David Eby and B.C. Energy Minister Josie Osborne in Victoria on May 3 to brief them about the proposed project, the band statement said. The band has been working with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation and the BC Energy Regulator on a draft memorandum of understanding respecting the project.
Talks with BC Hydro are ongoing, as are discussions with interested investors, customers, and additional partners, while technical work on the project feasibility is ongoing.
“We have a long way to go to make this project a reality, but the concept is less than one year old, and we are moving quickly,” Chingee said. “We are talking with several other major energy infrastructure companies who are interested in partnering or becoming customers.”
