Linde plans C$2bn clean hydrogen investment in Alberta
Global industrial gas producer Linde said August 27 it would invest C$2bn (US$1.5bn) to build a world-scale integrated clean hydrogen and atmospheric gases facility in Alberta.
The plant will use autothermal reforming to produce hydrogen from natural gas and would incorporate Linde’s proprietary HISORP® process to capture carbon.
In the first phase, the facility will supply hydrogen under a long-term agreement with global petrochemical producer Dow, which is building its C$8.8bn Fort Saskatchewan Path2Zero project nearby, in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland on the outskirts of Edmonton.
Linde’s new facility will also recover hydrogen contained in off-gases from Dow’s cracker, and will supply clean hydrogen to existing and new industrial customers seeking to decarbonise their operations. In total, it will capture for sequestration more than 2mn tonnes/year of CO2.
When it is completed in 2028, the Alberta complex will be the largest clean hydrogen production facility in Canada and one of the largest in the world. It will be Linde’s largest single investment and its second new world-scale clean hydrogen project, following the announcement of a project to supply hydrogen to a blue ammonia project on the US Gulf Coast.
“This landmark project aligns with our strategy of developing high-quality projects with secured off-take,” Linde CEO Sanjiv Lamba said. “Our technology, experience and execution are enabling the transition to a cleaner economy.”
The project is expected to create 750 temporary construction jobs and 60 permanent operating jobs and will benefit from the government of Alberta’s carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) hub efforts and its Alberta Petrochemical Incentive Program.
“This is a huge win for Alberta’s energy sector and clearly demonstrates our business-friendly policies are attracting job-creating investment across the province,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean said in a joint statement. “We look forward to the beginning of construction in 2025 and are proud to be partnering with Linde to further develop our hydrogen industry.”