Hy2Gen Milestone for Canadian Project: Impact Study and Timeline

(Hy2Gen) • Hy2gen submits project notice for renewable ammonia plant to receive “go ahead” by Quebec’s Minister of the Environment, Fighting Against Climate Change and Wildlife and Parks for construction.

Hy2gen Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of global renewable hydrogen producer Hy2gen, has submitted the project notice for the renewable ammonia production plant project COURANT to Quebec’s Minister of the Environment, Fighting Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks. This milestone marks the end of the planning stage. In the next step, Quebec’s Minister of the Environment will define the directive for an impact study that Hy2gen has to carry out. The impact study aims to test the proposed project to ensure safety and ensure minimal environmental impact.

Hy2gen is confident that it will meet these expectations as it has been in close continuous contact with regional political and industry stakeholders. Since 2023 Hy2gen has held discussion meetings with regional government, municipal representatives, industry experts and members of the local economic, environmental and social communities.

Project COURANT‘s output of 230.000 tonnes of ammonia per year will be used to decarbonize the local mining industry and help the region around Baie-Comeau, where the plant will be located, achieve its climate goals by reducing CO₂ emissions.

Beyond its environmental impact, project COURANT will also become a significant economic driver. It will generate up to 1,000 jobs during construction and create around 300 permanent positions once operational. To further strengthen the regional economy, the project will support the development of a resilient industrial ecosystem, prioritizing partnerships with local, regional, and provincial businesses for goods and services.

It is important to Hy2gen to make a positive social as well as environmental impact with project COURANT. Hy2gen has been in close contact with the first nation community, Innus de Pessamit, during the planning process and seeks to develop partnerships that respect their values and priorities.

An office will open in Baie-Comeau to maintain direct and transparent communication with all local stakeholders.

Hy2gen CEO, Cyril Dufau-Sansot: “With the submission of the project notice to the Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks of Quebec, our project COURANT has reached a significant milestone toward its realization. We have been welcomed with open arms and want to pay back on the trust we have received. Realizing renewable ammonia production here proofs that we can confidently develop our ammonia projects in the Americas and Nordic countries. With those, we aim to supply Europe with renewable fuels. The demand for renewable ammonia is growing, and with a working logistics network it can be imported and used in the EU at lower costs than renewable ammonia produced in Europe.”

With 300 MW of electrolyzer capacity, Hy2gen’s COURANT project will be one of the largest ammonia production plants in North America when it becomes operational in 2030. Achieving this late stage in project development for COURANT serves as a proof of concept for similar ammonia production plants, Hy2gen is developing in the Americas and Nordic countries. Through this worldwide network of production plants, Hy2gen plans to supply Europe with renewable fuels such as ammonia to aid decarbonization efforts.

Hy2gen AG, based in Wiesbaden, develops, finances, builds, and operates plants worldwide for the production of renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives, so-called RFNBO (renewable fuels of non-biological origin). The company's target is to support its clients in decarbonizing energy-intensive ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors such as shipping, aviation or the chemical, fertilizer and steel industry with the help of energy carriers and fuels from Power-to-X processes. This makes Hy2gen an important accelerator of the energy transition and makes a significant contribution to achieving climate targets. The company has been a first mover on the market since 2017 and is now active in five countries worldwide. Hy2gen's current project pipeline comprises an electrolysis capacity of 3.4 GW in planning and construction, and a further 15 GW of electrolysis capacity in development. At the beginning of 2022, Hy2gen raised €200 million from renowned investors – still one of the largest private capital raisings in the field of renewable hydrogen to date. READ MORE