The City of Flin Flon has signed off on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Toronto-based Minnova Corp. to discuss possible green hydrogen production around Flin Flon.
The deal was announced March 29 in a news release by Minnova, then circulated by the City later in the week. Minnova is likely best known around Flin Flon for their role with the PL mine project, located near Puffy Lake. The company has attempted to bring the mine near Sherridon into production for the past several years, dating back to 2015.
“Canada is already a large producer of hydrogen used primarily for oil refining, ammonia production, methanol production and steel production. Virtually all this is grey hydrogen produced from fossil fuels and releases significant CO2 to the atmosphere,” reads the Minnova statement on the MOU.
Large-scale extraction of hydrogen is most produced by fossil fuels, specifically from steam reforming natural gas or other hydrocarbon-based fuel, heating up the fuel to extremely high temperatures and using a chemical reaction to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Hydrogen made through this method is often called “grey hydrogen” or “blue hydrogen”. Other hydrogen production methods include extracting it through “water splitting”, using electrolysis to extract hydrogen from water. This method, often called “green hydrogen” production, appears to be what Minnova is aiming toward with Flin Flon.
“Green hydrogen can be produced from renewable hydroelectric power, which is a key part of the City’s and province of Manitoba’s energy infrastructure advantage. Green hydrogen production in the vicinity of the City of Flin Flon represents both an ambitious goal and a unique opportunity,” reads the Minnova statement.
Similar projects are in production in Quebec, where German corporation Thyssenkrupp and Hydro-Quebec are working on a facility that could produce more than 11,000 metric tons of green hydrogen per year.
According to the recently released federal budget, the Canada Infrastructure Bank currently plans to invest at least $20 billion in building clean electricity and infrastructure projects. Billions more in tax credits have also been set aside specifically for clean electricity projects.
What exactly a hydrogen production project would look like around Flin Flon is still up in the air, along with where it would be located and what would be required to build. City executive staff said the Minnova/City agreement is not a guarantee of a future project - it merely gives the two groups the green light to work together, not saying that shovels would not yet go in the ground and discussions are still non-binding.
“The MOU is not a project - it is a memorandum of understanding that gives us and Minnova the opportunity to work together to support the valuation and possible future development of large-scale green hydrogen, based on renewable hydroelectric power. It is also an opportunity to evaluate the potential for the City of Flin Flon and surrounding communities to become a regional trading hub for hydrogen and hydrogen-based energy carriers,” said City chief administrative officer Lyn Brown in a statement to The Reminder about the deal.
“However, most importantly, it is an opportunity for the City of Flin Flon to make it clear that we are interested in attracting new industries such as Minnova and that we are open for business and willing to engage with industry partners.”
Discussions between Minnova and the City of Flin Flon started in 2022, with the company reaching out to then-regional economic development coordinator Brian Lin. When Lin left the job last year for a new post with the City of North Vancouver, the City and the company continued talks.
At a council meeting in February, Mayor George Fontaine spoke about the City’s discussions on hydrogen development, saying that two companies had reached out to the City about such a project. The mayor did not name any company or mention any details about any project, but did say the City’s ongoing talks with the provincial government to acquire Crown land within City limits would be key for such a project.
“As for what happens next, we will continue to support Minnova through collaboration and advocacy when needed. The MOU does not create any enforceable legal or equitable rights or obligations, but merely acknowledges the intentions of the participants to pursue mutually beneficial initiatives,” said Brown.
