Edmonton’s Hydrogen Hub
Edmonton International Airport is a strong supporter of the Edmonton Hydrogen Hub and the efforts to grow this industry for Alberta, for Canada and for all of the aviation industry. We are home to the Airport City Sustainability Campus, a broad campus of businesses with a focus on fostering innovation, new technologies and a focus on sustainable operations.
As a community leader and major facility, we can 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 future is here, and it’s being developed at YEG to create jobs, attract investment and help address the climate crisis to make our world better.
Learn more about our 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.
Hydrogen Vehicles
In the coming years, YEG will become 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 will also take possession of multiple Mirai fuel-cell vehicles which are fueled by hydrogen. These vehicles will be used by YEG employees and the airport will seek additional partnerships to encourage the adoption of these emissions-free vehicles in the future by other users at the airport.
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.