Fort Saskatchewan's reputation in the industrial heartland continues to grow.
On Wednesday (April 5) Mayor Gale Katchur announced that Aurora Hydrogen has received the green light to build a demonstration plant at the Sherritt Technologies facility.
“Sherritt International was the first industry to establish in Fort Saskatchewan back in the 1950s and I am proud to acknowledge that they are supporting the next phase of our energy transition,” said Katchur.
The development is significant in the way that it will allow for hydrogen production at the current facilities, greatly reducing transportation costs. The technology being used will also produce zero emissions.
"The main benefits of the Aurora process are no carbon emissions, providing the best fuel for the environment and air quality; the cost advantage versus using typical fuels; and using a sustainable energy source," the city said in a release.
"The Aurora project also keeps Fort Saskatchewan at the forefront of the energy transition which means more jobs, and new technology advancements developed right here."
According to Katchur, Fort Saskatchewan's history with some of the world's largest energy producers helped make this happen.
“Aurora chose Fort Saskatchewan because some of the world’s largest energy players in the world are already here," she said. "The opportunity for government funding and partnerships is strong in Fort Saskatchewan and we have a lot of energy industry experts working and living here.
"We were able to demonstrate to Aurora that Fort Saskatchewan is committed to innovation in the energy sector."
There has yet to be word on how much it will cost to construct the plant and exactly how many more jobs could be created.
Aurora plans to have the first emission-free hydrogen production case-study ready later this year, with plans to deploy the technology on a larger scale sometime next year.