Nu:ionic will deploy its "Teal Hydrogen" reformer at a planned natural gas energy facility in Alberta to mix hydrogen into the fuel supply to lower emissions.

The longer-term goal is to, hopefully, lead to a complete transition to hydrogen at the facility.

Fredericton, N.B.-based Nu:ionic will partner with Vancouver-based HybriGenix Futures Inc. on the demonstration project to be situated near Edmonton. Projected to reach 100 megawatts (MW) of power generation using natural gas, the demo will take place during Phase 1, which will start with 50 MW of capacity.

It marks the first time Nu:ionic is participating in a power generation project, Jan Boshoff, CEO of the company, told Sustainable Biz Canada in an interview.

Nu:ionic’s Nu-X Smart Reformer will be on the 146-acre site, expected to produce 1.2 tonnes of hydrogen fuel per day from natural gas. The hydrogen will be blended up to eight per cent, helping to decarbonize the natural gas supply that will power turbines.

The company’s carbon-capture system will also be installed for further reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

“At scale, it could potentially completely decarbonize the gas turbine production,” Boshoff explained.

Mixing hydrogen into natural gas

The owner and operator of the natural gas power plant, HybriGenix, has engaged with Nu:ionic for over two years to develop an integrated solution for the hydrogen mobility market that covers production, compression and dispensing, Boshoff said. HybriGenix’s ambition is to decarbonize its power generation using hydrogen.

The demonstration project will use Nu:ionic’s electric furnace Nu-X to produce hydrogen from natural gas. Nu:ionic says it reduces natural gas consumption up to 40 per cent compared to typical hydrogen formation using the fossil fuel. Full production capacity would be up to 96 tonnes of hydrogen per day.

The carbon-capture component will liquefy carbon dioxide before combustion, which can then be stored or sold. The target is to capture up to 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year at the facility when it is running at full capacity. Such performance would capture almost all the emissions, Boshoff said.

Teal hydrogen has a third of the GHGs compared to grey hydrogen, which is produced with natural gas and carbon capture, Nu:ionic chief operating officer Arturo Puigbo told Sustainable Biz Canada in June. Nu:ionic also says the process uses less energy and costs less than green hydrogen produced via renewable energy and water in an electrolyzer.

Nu-X will be powered by the waste heat from the gas turbines, thus utilizing energy that would otherwise have no purpose.

“There’s really no other technology that matches that well with conventional gas turbines.”

Boshoff highlighted the compatibility of the technology with gas peaker facilities that are activated in times of high energy demand, which are difficult to decarbonize. Industry peers can learn from the partnership and apply it to other gas peaker sites, he added.

A figure on carbon reductions from using the hydrogen-mixed natural gas could not be given, as it depends on whether HybriGenix opts to export the hydrogen or blend it into its gas supply, Boshoff explained.

An optimistic schedule for the facility’s commissioning is Q4 2025, but Puigbo said it will more likely be Q1 2026.

If Nu:ionic can prove it successfully integrated its equipment, the plant could gradually be converted to run entirely on hydrogen. Boshoff said the turbines are hydrogen-ready.

Renewable power, hydrogen exports could be the future

Boshoff said more sustainability projects could be on the facility. HybriGenix is said to be looking at integrating renewable energy and exporting hydrogen made on the site.

As for its business, Nu-X is gaining traction, Boshoff said, and Nu:ionic plans to soon be announcing deals with U.S. developers and plans for larger-scale hydrogen production for power plants.

One of the U.S. projects are an agreement with RW Energy where Nu-X will be used for hydrogen production in energy parks set for development in California, Texas and Ohio. The projects, which will range from generating 1.2 tonnes of hydrogen per day to six tonnes of hydrogen per day, may start as early as Q4 2025, RW Energy estimates.