Merci, Madam la Presidente. As a member of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment, I participated in a January 25th workshop "Can Hydrogen power the North?” organized by the Department of Infrastructure.
Hydrogen is a gas and it has been used in Canada for many years to produce fertilizer and other chemicals. Largely as a result of the climate emergency, there is international interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier. Fossil or carbonbased fuels are also an energy carrier but when burned, release carbon dioxide. For hydrogen, water is the usual byproduct which could help us better address greenhouse gas emissions.
The federal government released a hydrogen strategy in December 2020 showing the growing interest in this field. This was a virtual workshop with about 50 participants. There was a good crosssection of interests from GNWT, the federal government, community governments, Indigenous governments and corporations, NGOs, and business. The purpose of the workshop was to share information about what is known, and to initiate a dialogue around potential production and use of hydrogen in the NWT.
There are new technologies and products being developed by many manufacturers of equipment and vehicles that can use hydrogen, including heavy trucks. There are basically two ways to produce hydrogen electrolysis of water and stripping of natural gas. Alberta has a growing hydrogen sector and economy, and the Edmonton to Calgary corridor will serve as a pilot project for trucks using hydrogen.
Bridge technologies that allow switching between hydrogen and carbon fuels would be helpful and could assist with some sectors.
More effective use of the retained carbon taxes and the large emitter trust accounts should be explored to promote pilot projects in the NWT. More work on the economics of alternatives is also needed.
The NWT experience with biomass is an example of how such a transition can take place. We need an energy transition plan with regional approaches to get us off fossil fuels. Infrastructure officials committed to publicly releasing the background document and a "what we heard" report from the workshop. Clearly, hydrogen will have to be part of a mix moving forward and should be in the next energy action plan. I will have questions later today for the Minister of Infrastructure. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
