Edmonton’s Hydrogen Hub
Partnering in hydrogen development
Edmonton International Airport (YEG) strongly supports the Edmonton Hydrogen Hub and the efforts to grow this industry for Alberta, Canada and the entire aviation industry.
We are home to the Airport City Sustainability Campus, a broad campus of businesses focused on fostering innovation, new technologies and sustainable operations. As a community leader and major facility, we bring together companies from around the world and here at home to form partnerships, test new technologies and showcase the power of emissions-free hydrogen fuels.
The Airport City Sustainability Campus continues to attract a wide range of technology, cargo, and hydrogen-related industries. It is home to YEG’s hydrogen hub development, Canada’s first consumer-facing hydrogen hub, and creating a model for the decarbonization of transportation and logistics.
The future is here, and it’s being developed at our airport. We are creating jobs, attracting investment and addressing the climate crisis to make the world a better place.
Watch to learn about Hydrogen at YEG
Committed to ESG
YEG’s commitment to hydrogen reflects our values towards environmental, social and governance work. In 2021, YEG became the world’s first airport to sign The Climate Pledge, committing to be carbon neutral by 2040. Combined with the new slate of hydrogen agreements, YEG is supporting private investment attraction, job creation and economic development for the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.
Learn more about our Hydrogen ESG initiatives
Hydrogen fueling
YEG will work with multiple companies for the development and operation of retail hydrogen fueling stations designed for electric fuel cell vehicles.
A partnership with FirstElement Fuel will bring the California-based company to Canada to expand its True Zero hydrogen fueling stations. True Zero operates the world’s largest network of hydrogen fueling stations for drivers and will construct a station at YEG for retail use. This will also serve as an opportunity to showcase the technology and act as a launching point for greater expansion across Alberta and Canada.
ZeroAvia, the leader in developing zero-emission solutions for commercial aviation, is partnering with YEG to explore opportunities to deliver zero-emission flights and decarbonize ground operations. The partnership targets exploring the use of hydrogen for decarbonization of aircraft operations, and also the wider airport ecosystem. To support the collaboration, ZeroAvia will leverage its experience in developing and operating its Hydrogen Airport Refuelling Ecosystem (HARE).
Hydrogen vehicles
YEG is becoming a significant user of emissions-free hydrogen fuel in several aspects.
A partnership with Quebec-based Letenda will bring hydrogen-fueled buses to the airport to begin use in the existing fleet that provides on-demand transit services with the Airport City Sustainability Campus. Shuttle buses are also used in parking operations to assist passengers reaching their vehicles. In future years Letenda will build a hydrogen-centred maintenance and parts distribution centre to serve western Canada, located at YEG.
In partnership with Toyota Canada, YEG has purchased a fleet of 100 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). These vehicles will be used by YEG operations and partners in our airport ecosystem. This initiative will reduce carbon emissions and contribute to YEG’s goal of being net-zero by 2040. As a key development in Alberta’s clean fuels journey, this will be the first fleet of hydrogen-powered zero-emission vehicles in Alberta.
YEG’s Toyota Mirai hydrogen electric vehicle
YEG operates a significant heavy-duty vehicle fleet in its operations, including snow removal vehicles and other large operations. In partnership with Hydra Energy based in British Columbia, YEG will look to use Hydra Energy’s proprietary Hydrogen as a Service (Haas) technology to covert some of its heavy-duty fleet to run on hydrogen-blended fuels to lower their emissions. This will showcase the technology with a focus on scaling operations to expand this technology to other airports and major transportation hubs both locally and globally.
YEG is also forming a partnership with Hydra Energy and VEXSL, an armoured transport company that is headquartered within the Airport City Sustainability Campus. This partnership will see Hydra Energy also convert some heavy-duty armoured transport vehicles to run on a blend of hydrogen fuel beginning in the summer of 2022.
Technology partnerships
YEG is located with the regional Port Alberta Foreign Trade Zone and can work with global companies to offer opportunities for technology testing and real-world research opportunities. For hydrogen, this will involve multiple technologies.
YEG is pleased to welcome the Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation (JOIN) for a new agreement to cooperate with each other to promote investment for leading innovation in advanced technologies, advanced manufacturing, e-commerce, distribution, logistics with YEG’s Airport City Sustainability Campus as well as YEG’s development of Canada’s first consumer-facing hydrogen hub. Technology testing will focus on opportunities to decarbonize transportation and logistics. YEG is also welcoming to the Edmonton Metro Region, Japan-based global company Mitsui. YEG will be a future launch point and demonstration hub for Mitsui’s technologies, particularly in hydrogen and mobility. The new agreement will explore opportunities for Mitsui’s companies to use the airport as a hub for cargo, distribution, and logistics as well as advanced manufacturing and assembly. Mitsui is headquartered in Toyko, Japan and has 129 offices in 63 countries. It is a global leader in areas of worldwide logistics and financing, through to the development of major international infrastructure and other projects in fields such as Energy, Infrastructure Projects, Mobility, Chemicals, Iron & Steel Products, Food, Food & Retail Management, Wellness, IT & Communication Business, and more.
YEG has signed an agreement with SBI Bio Energy, based in Edmonton, examine ways to use its modular hydrogen fuel stations with the Airport City Sustainability Campus. SBI Bio Energy also produces sustainable bio fuels, including jet fuel, that is produced from vegetable oil and animal fats and can seamlessly replace existing fuels that are more carbon intensive. YEG will examine ways to use biofuels and this technology in its operations.