Declaring "hydrogen's time has come," Gazifere, an Enbridge subsidiary and Evolugen, the Canadian operations arm of Brookfield Renewable, announced plans to build and operate one of Canada’s largest green hydrogen injection projects in Quebec.

This is the country's first green hydrogen project and ultimately this benign fuel will be injected into Gazifere's gas distribution grid -- the company desires to be North America's first 100 % green natural gas utility by 2050.

The approximately $90-million project will see a 20-megawatt (MW) electrolyzer plant built in the city of Gatineau, next to Evolugen’s hydroelectric facilities. Green hydrogen produced via electrolysis will be injected into Gazifère’s natural gas distribution network via a new 15-kilometre pipeline connecting the plant to the Gazifère grid.

“Green hydrogen can play a major role in Quebec’s energy transition by offering a sustainable, low-carbon energy solution,” says Cynthia Hansen, Enbridge’s Executive Vice President and President of Gas Distribution and Storage.

“With the production, transportation and distribution of green hydrogen, Gazifère has the ambition to provide its customers with an increasingly diversified portfolio of renewable natural gas options,” she says. “This is another important example of Enbridge’s multi-market approach to green the natural gas grid while continuing to meet the demand for safe, reliable and affordable energy.”

Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, ws sanguine about this fuel's future: “Hydrogen’s time has come. It will lower our emissions and create jobs. Projects like this will get us to net zero. ‘Greening’ pipeline operations en route to our net-zero emissions target.

“Clean hydrogen presents Canada with an opportunity to leverage our resources and world-leading clean tech sector to drive innovation on transformative technologies and reduce polluting emissions. Evolugen and Gazifère stand out and excel in this field,” remarks Stéphane Lauzon, Member of Parliament for Argenteuil-La Petite-Nation.

“We must combat the impact of climate change on our population and infrastructure by showing leadership in energy transition, prioritizing both the development and use of renewable energy,” says Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, mayor of Gatineau. “That’s why we are proud to support Evolugen and Gazifère’s innovative project, which will contribute to the fight against climate change while generating important economic benefits for our region, including job creation in this new sector.”