Concept illustration of the Niagara Hydrogen Centre. According to Atura, construction of the new facility on the Niagara River will generate an estimated $67 million of GDP, $31 million of labour income, and $4 million of tax revenues at the provincial level, plus tens of millions more over its 30-year operating life. Photo credit: Atura Power
The Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA) has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Atura Power for the provision of green hydrogen. The hydrogen will be produced at the Niagara Hydrogen Centre, located on the Niagara River.
“Atura power is a new organisation, currently in its third year of operations”, Kelly Grieves, Director of Hydrogen Business, shared in a recent interview with The Niagara Independent. “We have proven ourselves as an efficient operator and steward in the community, reducing emissions through our portfolio of operation of facilities.”
Atura’s focus on the development of green hydrogen is centred on its core objectives. “It really stems from our understanding of what Atura power will look like in the future”, said Grieves. “We are excited for how green hydrogen will help support our future goals of longevity and decarbonization, realising the goal of being in a net-zero grouping of companies by 2040.”
Grieves explained that the new Niagara Hydro Centre will play a key role in the development of clean hydrogen by Atura going forward. “We are currently developing the Niagara Hydro Centre Project and are hoping to start construction early this summer,” she said. “Our goal, which we’re on track to achieve, is to officially open the Niagara Hydro Centre in the second half of 2024.”
Grieves says that the end goal for Atura in green hydrogen production will be to support industrial decarbonization.
“We are looking forward to being able to provide alternative energy for vehicles such as Class-A trucks, regional transit authorities, forklifts, medium duty vehicles, etc. It has been said that as a clean energy, hydrogen can be like a Swiss army knife, as it can be produced in one location, transported, and used somewhere else, or stored for future use,” she added. “Green hydrogen has demonstrated that it can displace incumbent fuel, fossil fuel based hydrogen, grey fuel, natural gas and/or diesel.”
In addition to opportunities for increased environmental sustainability, the positive local economic impacts also promise to be immense.
“It’s estimated that, at the construction phase, (the project) would generate approximately $67 million of GDP, $31 million of labour income and $4 milion of tax revenues at the provincial level,” Darius Sokal, Senior Communications Advisor at Atura shared. “And, over the 30-year operating period, the project’s overall undiscounted contribution to Ontario’s economy would be equal to approximately $81 million in GDP growth, $35 million in labour income and $8 million in tax revenues.”
“Moreover, the project will accelerate a post-pandemic recovery of the provincial economy by creating well-paid and long-term jobs,” Sokal continued. “Not only would the project benefit the local community, but also create new jobs along the supply chain throughout the province and provide employment to the service sector of the economy.”
In order to prepare for sustainable economies, Atura is engaging with various Canadian educational providers to encourage the development of the skills and qualifications that the next generation of workers will need to be successful.
“We are already having discussions with these institutions about certification programs, skill development, etc.”, said Grieves. “There will be a skills gap in energy transition, particularly with hydrogen. There are currently a very low number of hydrogen technicians in Ontario as a whole, and that means we need to ask how we can get that skill-set to be widespread not only in our province, but across Canada and North America, as well.”
“We’re always working to further develop our team and prepare for the future.”
Those interested in learning more about Atura, its mandate, and its organisational goals can visit their website at Atura Power.
Nick Redekop completed his Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labour Studies at Brock University. He has previously served in municipal and federal politics. In his free time, Nick enjoys following sports, taking part in outdoor activities, and reading biographies. Nick resides in Niagara Falls
