- Irving Oil plans to shift to low-carbon and green hydrogen production.
- The project should become operational by late 2023.
Irving Oil, a Canadian energy company, has revealed plans to shift to low-carbon hydrogen or even green production in the future from its carbon-intensive process. To achieve this, the company has ordered a 5 MW electrolyser system from Plug Power Inc.
Plug Power, a US hydrogen solutions company, stated that it would supply a containerized proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer system of 5MW for the production and distribution of hydrogen at Irving Oil’s refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Irving Oil will operate the electrolyzer, using grid electricity to produce 2 tonnes of hydrogen daily for refining and mobility uses. The company also plans to shift to green hydrogen production long-term.
Ian Whitcomb, Irving Oil’s president noted, “this foundational project will accelerate our company’s learning about hydrogen as a downstream product while creating a decarbonization pathway for our Saint John refinery.”
Plug will manufacture the electrolyser at its Gigafactory in Rochester, New York. It is expected to be delivered and begin operations in Q3 2023.