Hatch supports Air Liquide in the development of first-of-a-kind green hydrogen project

Québec, Canada—As part of Air Liquide’s mandate to increase green hydrogen production capacity, work has begun on a project to construct a 20-megawatt proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen system at their Bécancour plant located in Québec, Canada. Upon completion, the project will be the largest-of-its-kind to produce green hydrogen, producing 3,000 tonnes of hydrogen output annually, and will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions for the region by nearly 27,000 tonnes annually, the equivalent of more than 107 million kilometres driven by the average passenger car. Hatch will provide project management support for the new facility's construction project, budget, and timeline.

“We are committed to designing, building, and supporting practical solutions that reduce the presence of greenhouse gases (GHG) in our atmosphere in order to mitigate the unavoidable climate change-related impacts to the natural environment,” said Michel Carreau, director within Hatch’s renewable power group. “Green hydrogen is one path we can take to achieve this goal. By combining Hatch’s multi-disciplinary engineering expertise and management services with Air Liquide, we have the right expertise to support Air Liquide Canada on this cutting-edge project leading to the implementation of the first large-scale use of novel PEM technology.”

Hatch will provide services which will include civil, structural, and architectural engineering for the main process plant and other critical plant infrastructure components; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning engineering; construction management and site preparation; health and safety management; as well as project management and controls.

In an official statement[1], Michael J. Graff, executive vice president & executive committee member of Air Liquide S.A. and chairman & CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc. said, “This investment will help further contribute towards carbon-free hydrogen supply for Air Liquide industrial and mobility markets in North America and complement the recently announced hydrogen investment for the energy markets in the western U.S. Both are reflective of the Group’s climate objectives to reduce the carbon intensity of its activities and work with customers towards a sustainable industry and the development of a low-carbon society.”

Click here to find out more about the Bécancour Green Hydrogen Plant project.

This news comes just after Hatch also announced their partnership with Anglo American, BHP, and Fortescue to form a Green Hydrogen Consortium to look at ways of using green hydrogen to accelerate decarbonization within their operations globally.

For more information, please contact:

Lindsay Janca
Global Director, Public Relations
Tel: +1 905 403 4199
Email: media@hatch.com

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[1] Air Liquide February 25, 2019 press release: “Air Liquide invests in the world’s largest membrane-based electrolyzer to develop its carbon-free hydrogen production.”