The City of Prince George has been selected by CEMPO (Clean Energy Major Projects Office) to lead the Northern BC Hydrogen Hub. In addition to being selected as the lead, the Hub has also been awarded $150,000 in funding to kick off the project.
In alliance with the Hydrogen Hub, Prince George has also become the first municipal member of the CHFCA (Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association).
“We are delighted to welcome the City of Prince George in British Columbia as our association’s inaugural municipal member,” said Ivette Vera-Perez, President and CEO of the CHFCA, in a news release earlier this year. “As the city is a key player in the advancement of lighthouse projects in central BC’s hydrogen hub, the CHFCA, and our Hydrogen BC affiliate looks forward to closely collaborating with the City of Prince George on their path to net-zero and learning from thier success as we support other Canadian municipalities in advancing their hydrogen goals.”
Manager of Economic Development, Deklan Corstanje also had the opportunity to be a key-note speaker at the Hydrogen Technology Expo North America in Houston TX, where he was able to further promote and bring international attention to the community.
As permitting can be a barrier to investment in this industry, the City of Prince George also completed a ‘Permitting Case Study’ for Hydrogen focused projects. This document has involved consultation of many functions within the City of Prince George, including Planning, Building Inspection, Fire inspection, Engineering, Utilities and GIS. It gives a background to the relevant and influential bylaws of the community that will affect land use both current and future, the different zones within the community, the permits required based on different triggers, the process involved, as well as the costs and timelines with each process and permit.