Green hydrogen injection pilot project
A solution in development
Énergir is participating in efforts to reduce GHG emissions in Quebec. With this in mind, we want to find out how green hydrogen can help us decarbonize our gas network.
One possible avenue for Énergir, as an energy distributor, would be to mix a certain percentage of green hydrogen with the natural gas in our network. Énergir will soon have to decide whether we can accept a certain amount of hydrogen in our network and what the impact on equipment and appliances will be. We also need to investigate the technical challenges associated with hydrogen distribution. To get to the bottom of these issues, we will conduct a closed-loop pilot project at our facilities from spring through fall 2022.
Pilot project
École de technologie gazière (ETG), Boucherville
Energy-District
The Energy District is an innovative training facility for people who work with natural gas. There's a mini-gas network with streets, homes, metering facilities, several natural gas appliances, a leak test area, and an emergency simulation area.
Le Sud-Ouest borough, Montréal
Énergir Urban Heating and Cooling (Énergir CCU)
Énergir CCU owns and operates three distinct steam, hot water, and cold water networks used to heat and cool commercial buildings. Its 3-kilometre network serves 1.8 million square meters of varied facilities and meets the energy needs of one third of the commercial space in downtown Montreal.
Energy-District
- Injection of a natural gas/green hydrogen mixture
- Tests performed on residential and commercial appliances
- A known environment controlled by Énergir
- Training for Énergir employees
Energir CCU
- Injection of a natural gas/green hydrogen mixture
- Tests performed on industrial appliances (boilers) similar to many systems used in Canada
- No impact on the supply, operations, or production of Énergir CCU customers
- A known environment controlled by Énergir and its subsidiary
These sites were chosen because they allow us to conduct tests on various pieces of equipment typical of what our customers use, in a controlled environment and without affecting our customers' operations and production.
This real-world simulation is important, so we can test whether the mixture of green hydrogen and natural gas is a solution that could eventually be used in our network with a lower carbon footprint.
Testing will begin in early April at Énergir CCU in Montreal and in early May at the ETG Energy District in Boucherville, and will continue until fall 2022.
The project will be carried out at two controlled sites to assess how a mixture of natural gas and green hydrogen affects various types of equipment, and it will not interfere with natural gas distribution services.
Énergir has put measures in place to minimize the risks as much as possible. The tests comply with all applicable standards, and we have carried out a risk assessment to keep the risk of accidents to the absolute minimum.
The other thing to keep in mind is that after being stored in tanks, hydrogen will be mixed with natural gas, and the properties of this mixture are essentially the same as the properties of natural gas.
A number of prevention, monitoring, and safety measures are in place.
The injection equipment and hydrogen tanks will be equipped with measuring instruments so we can detect any problems. They will also have various types of safety equipment (safety shutdown, hydrogen detectors, pressure reader, flame detector, etc.). . We have notified fire departments in the jurisdictions where the pilot project is taking place, so they can be ready to respond in the event of an incident
Contact us for any questions or comments
Énergir is committed to maintaining contact with the public and interested stakeholders.
Any member of the public can contact the project stakeholders directly by calling 1 844 483-1313 or by emailing us.