Atura Power's Halton Hills station will soon generate electricity by blending hydrogen with natural gas - a move the company says will help the province reach net-zero carbon emissions.
Sometime in 2024, the local facility will begin upgrading its gas plant on Sixth Line and Steeles Avenue to accept the blended fuel.
“Hydrogen is a sort of emerging technology. It's a technology that's been around for some time, but emerging in the sense that there is now broader policy support,” Atura CEO Shelley Babin said.
While hydrogen is hard to find naturally, it can be created almost limitlessly by using electrolysis on water. In simple terms, water molecules – consisting of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen – are electrolyzed to separate them for collection.
The gas has many industrial uses, like metallurgy and food processing. Atura plans to sell to other industries as well, adding further benefits to its business case.
In the spring of this year, Atura will break ground on its electrolyzer plant in Niagara Falls. The Niagara Hydrogen Centre will be powered by local hydroelectric power plants.
Hydrogen generated from low-emission sources, like hydroelectric or wind power, creates what is called green energy. Hydrogen created from dirtier sources like coal power is called brown hydrogen, for example.
The gas will be trucked to the Halton Hills Generation Station, where it will be blended with natural gas and burned to run its two mammoth 220-megawatt gas turbines. The heat generated from the burning isn’t wasted, instead recycled to run a 300-megawatt steam turbine.
The gas will be stored onsite in tube trailers used to transport the gas. Atura will look into a more permanent solution if such a need comes up.
Engineer Shen says that few modifications are needed to get the system ready to accept hydrogen gas. These include changing the control system and the combustion system.
One of the major obstacles to scaling up hydrogen-generated electricity is the blend ratio. Hydrogen is far less dense than natural gas. That means the more hydrogen added to the mix, the less energy output.
The maximum allowable proportion of hydrogen is 20 per cent before major dropoffs occur.
“Our intent is to blend between five and 15 per cent by volume,” Babin said.
A maximum of 15 per cent was chosen because, according to Babin, “that's where we are today in terms of capabilities with the existing gas turbine upgrades that are available.”
Technology contractors assure Atura that capacity will increase as technology advances.
“As the technology develops and is proven, then we will look to increase the blending capacity over time,” Babin elaborated.
The low density of hydrogen presents another challenge, with potentially dangerous leakages when storing for transportation or during the blending process.
Babin says that Atura already has extensive experience in the handling of the gas. Shen added that all storage will be tested for leaks using nitrogen gas to detect pressure drops.
According to Shen, hydrogen creation and transportation are by no means new processes and “there are existing standards that the industry has [to meet].”
She added: “We will adhere to [provincial] safety protocols.”
Babin does not expect this project to have any impact on residential utility bills.
“The price that the Independent Electricity System Operator pays to Atura Power to operate our turbines, regardless of fuel, is fixed. And that is out until 2029.”
