Hydrogen Strategy for Canada Implementation

**Update as of July 27, 2022**

Hydrogen Strategy for Canada Working Groups
 
As of July 2022, all but three of the Working Groups (WGs) under the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada have been established. The three remaining Working Groups- Emerging Markets, Training and Trucking- will have their first meetings in August. Though the WGs are each at different stages, significant progress has been made in 2022, since the Federal election halted a lot of the work in late 2021. An overview of the stage of each Working Group is below including current workplan priorities, task forces, and most recent meeting date and action items.
Awareness

• Proposed Workplan Priorities
  • Public Opinion Research on hydrogen use
  • Education campaign on the safety of hydrogen
  • Education campaign on Indigenous awareness of hydrogen
• Most Recent Meeting: May 30 
  • Key Action Item from May 30 meeting: Members currently completing a survey to inform the working group workplan for the next 1-3 years. Next meeting in September will review survey responses and confirm full workplan.

 
Codes & Standards (C&S)

• Workplan Priorities
  • Carbon Intensity of Hydrogen Production Pathways
  • Safety of hydrogen systems and infrastructure/leak hazard mitigation
• Task Forces
  • Production, Delivery/Storage, and End Use
• Most Recent Meeting: June 22, 2022
  • Key Action Item(s) from June 22 meeting:
    • Task Force work underway. NRCan Secretariat will also share codes & standards-related questions from other working groups such as infrastructure, natural gas and export, and receive input from C&S Members.

 
Electricity

• Workplan Priorities
  • Hydrogen production potential of offshore wind resources via electrolysis in Atlantic Canada
• Task Forces
  • Economics/Finance/Markets, Production Opportunities, Regulatory/Policy Signals, and Grid Benefits
• Most Recent Meeting: June 10, 2022
  • Key Action Item from June 10 meeting: Task Force Work underway; based on the survey, Co-Chairs sending a list of task force and working group priorities to members.

 
 
 Emerging Markets

• Proposed Workplan Priorities
  • Analysis of hydrogen adoption in emerging markets/Demonstration (i.e. Aero, Rail and Marine).
• Most Recent Meeting: plan for Inaugural meeting August 2022.

 
Export

• Proposed Workplan Priorities
  • Global atlas of hydrogen producing and consuming countries
  • GHG Life Cycle analysis of hydrogen/ammonia production from well head to delivery
• Most Recent Meeting: July 2022
  • Key Action Item from meeting: Members currently completing a survey to inform the full workplan for the next 1-3 years.

 
Hubs

• Proposed Workplan Priorities
  • Develop a Tool kit for use by hub task forces
  • Regional Blueprint to study opportunities to enhance rail corridor infrastructure development and emergency response capacity for Indigenous and local communities
• Most Recent Meeting: January 27, 2022 (next meeting August 2022)
  • Key Action Item from January meeting: develop task forces, and confirm above workplan priorities.

 
Industrial Uses

•  Workplan Priorities
  • Analyzing the interoperability of replacing equipment in industrial operations
  • Inventory of common industrial equipment ready for replacement using hydrogen technology
• Most Recent Meeting: June 23, 2022
  • Key Action Item from June 23 meeting: full workplan being finalized, following survey input from members.

 
Infrastructure

• Workplan Priorities
  • Materials and supply chain readiness
  • Investment and finance
  • Pipelines, liquefaction and storage
• Most Recent Meeting: May 16, 2022
  • Key Action Item from May 16 meeting: Members currently completing a survey to inform the full workplan for the next 1-3 years.

 
 
Innovation

• Workplan Priorities
  • Identify areas for innovation
  • Gaps in technology development (production, storage, transport, end-use, codes and standards)
  • How to address the need for people’s development
• Most Recent Meeting: June 3, 2022
  • Key Action Item from meeting: Co-Chairs and Secretariat to summarize and analyze responses from White Board Brainstorm session, to inform full workplan for next 1-3 years.

 
Ports/Marine

• Workplan Priorities
  • Hydrogen Ports Initiative (Under the Clean Energy Ministerial): twinning of the Ports of Hamburg and Rotterdam with appropriate Eastern Canada/Maritime Ports for early deployment of H2, and export infrastructure.
• Most Recent Meeting:  Feb 23, 2022
  • Key Action Item from Feb 23 meeting: Members currently completing a survey to inform the working group work plan for the next 1-3 years. Next meeting in September will review survey responses and confirm full workplan.

 
Mining

• Workplan Priorities: TBD
• Most Recent Meeting: April 2021 (Next meeting planned for September 2022)
  • Key Action Item from April 2021 meeting: live case experiences/studies presented in first meeting.

 
Natural Gas

• Workplan Priorities
  • Role of carbon abated natural gas-derived H2
  • Hydrogen blending & NG End-use technologies
  • Roadmap on increasing the hydrogen blending percentages in natural gas distribution systems
• Task Forces
  • Market, Infrastructure, and End Use
• Most Recent Meeting: March 9, 2022
  • Key Action Item from March 9 meeting: work of each Task Force is underway and studies are being executed.

 
Nuclear

• Workplan Priorities
  • Technical analysis of hydrogen production pathways from nuclear energy
• Task Forces
  • Economics/Finance/Business Models/Policy, Safety Regulations Codes and Standards. Production Processes, and Production Opportunities
• Most Recent Meeting: Upcoming meeting Aug 4, 2022
  • Key Action Item from meeting: Work plan was recently circulated to members, for input at Aug 4 meeting.

 
Urban Transit Task Force

• Proposed Workplan Priorities:
  • Tools to assist urban transit authorities identifying opportunities for hydrogen
• Most Recent Meeting: April 2021 (next meeting planning for Sept 2022)
  • Key Action Item from April 2021 meeting: Task Force will put together a proposal for demonstration to Infrastructure Canada and that Canada Infrastructure Bank, and circulate proposal to transit authorities.

 
Trucking

• Workplan Priorities
  • TBD. The Co-Chairs are currently establishing a series of three “Zero Emission Trucking Workshops” to discuss current trends and support the establishment of the Working Group. Workshops hosted by Transport Canada’s Innovation Centre and the Alberta Motor Transportation Association.
• Most Recent Meeting: First Workshop planned for September 2022.

 
Training

• Proposed Workplan Priorities
  • Data collection and analysis for the future hydrogen workforce in Canada, including development of an online portal for hydrogen careers in Canada.
• Most Recent Meeting: Inaugural meeting scheduled for September

 
 
Strategic Steering Committee

• Workplan Priorities
  • Overseeing and guiding the work of the working groups, and provide comments on project recommendations.
  • Providing recommendations for all participants to seize the economic and environmental opportunities hydrogen provides
• Most Recent Meeting: June 27, 2022
  • Key Action Item from June 27 meeting: Identifying key next steps and priorities for the next year, following roundtable on progress and remaining challenges.

 
Federal, Provincial, Territorial

• Workplan Priorities
  • Coordinate efforts and discuss challenges and opportunities to grow the production and use of hydrogen across the country, under the context of the Strategy and regional blueprints.
• Most Recent Meeting: June 15, 2022
  • Key Action Item from June 15 meeting: Provinces and Territories providing input on action items for next year.

 
Indigenous Oversight Committee

• Workplan Priorities
  • Indigenous Clean Energy (ICE) will provide recommendations to the ICO while ensuring information is disseminated mutually between indigenous communities and the federal government.
• Task Forces
  • Task forces may be established based on priorities and input from members
• Most Recent Meeting: NRCan has been engaging regularly with ICE on building the Indigenous Oversight Committee, and is connecting with Indigenous communities on participating in the working groups under the Hydrogen Strategy.