With this, Atura Power and Plains All American are aiming to tackle this growing need by developing an underground hydrogen storage project, using salt caverns, subject to a feasibility study.
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Formalised with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), the two companies will conduct a low-carbon hydrogen and subsurface storage feasibility study and front-end engineering design (FEED) study related to existing assets and operations in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
These studies will aim to evaluate the suitability of developing and operating a 20MW electrolyser situated adjacent to Atura’s Bright Beach Generating Station (BBGS).
The subsurface storage aspect of the project will incorporate salt caverns to storage vast quantities of hydrogen for when demand is there.
Chris Fralick, President of Atura Power, said, “We are excited to partner with Plains to explore options to produce and store hydrogen near our Brighton Beach Generating Station.
“Investigating sub-surface hydrogen storage at scale in Ontario is a crucial step to realising hydrogen’s full net zero potential. Hydrogen can be produced during off-peak times, on a daily or seasonal basis, and stored as a long-term energy source.
“That stored hydrogen can be used to decarbonise the Ontario economy in applications such as high-emitting industries, heavy duty trucking and for long-term/seasonal storage of energy for the electricity grid.”
Dan Noack, Vice-President of Emerging Energy and Process Optimisation, at Plains All American, said, “We believe hydrogen can play a critical role in global decarbonisation.
“As a large operator of Canadian natural gas liquids storage caverns, exploring the feasibility of utilising our assets for hydrogen storage is an important step in advancing our Emerging Energy platform.
“Adding hydrogen storage service would align with our existing asset base, business model, and our efforts to diversify our participation in energy evolution in a capital-efficient manner.
“We look forward to growing our relationship with Atura and advancing other similar opportunities in the future.”
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