麻豆传媒

Canada

    • Green energy projects eye underground salt caverns as key to hydrogen storage

    This photo provided by the U.S. Department of Energy shows a section of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve facility in West Hackberry, La. Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (The Canadian Press/HO-U.S. Department of Energy via AP) This photo provided by the U.S. Department of Energy shows a section of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve facility in West Hackberry, La. Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (The Canadian Press/HO-U.S. Department of Energy via AP)
    Share

    Triple Point Resources Ltd. CEO Julie Lemieux wants people to understand the sheer size of the Fischell Salt Dome, a geological formation on Newfoundland's west coast she says could play a key role in the green energy transition.

    The dome is a thick mound or column of naturally occurring salt deposits, surrounded by layers of rock. If the salt is dissolved and the column is hollowed out and filled with hydrogen, Lemieux said, it could become one of the largest green energy storage facilities in eastern North America.

    "The size of the cavern we could build, it could be as big as the Empire State Building," said Lemieux.

    "The model that we have showed that it can be even bigger than that."

    The company Lemieux leads, which is seeking to develop the Fischell site for hydrogen storage, is one of several Canadian companies that have turned their eyes to underground salt caverns as worldwide interest in greener sources of energy takes off.

    The concept isn't new 鈥 the petroleum industry has long used underground cavities for the safe storage of hydrocarbons. In Alberta, for example, more than 100 salt caverns have been in use as natural gas storage reservoirs for the past 50 years.

    South of the border, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserves holds emergency crude oil stocks in massive salt caverns located along the Gulf Coast.

    But interest is now growing in using similar naturally occurring underground structures to store hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel source that many hope will help displace fossil fuels as countries around the world seek to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.

    Hydrogen can be used as a transport fuel, in industrial settings and for electrification. Though most of the hydrogen in use today is produced with natural gas, it can also be produced using clean energy sources such as wind and solar.

    Ottawa has a national strategy aiming for a third of Canada's energy use to be from clean hydrogen by 2050. The government has also signed an agreement with Germany aimed at accelerating commercial-scale exports from Canada to the German market.

    While there is much work to do to grow hydrogen production in this country, the East Coast has been identified as a potential hub for the burgeoning sector. There are several projects proposed in the Atlantic provinces that aim to produce clean hydrogen from massive wind farms, and Lemieux said if these projects get up and running, they will need storage capacity.

    "This geological structure has been looked at since the '60s ... people knew there was a salt structure there," said Lemieux, adding tests have revealed the Fischell Salt Dome could have the potential to store more than 35 million cubic metres of hydrogen, or the equivalent of 180,000 tonnes.

    "It just wasn't the right time, and now the time is right with the importance of hydrogen."

    "With all the demand for hydrogen globally, and if all these projects get going on the East Coast, there will be ample demand for storage opportunities for everybody," said Paul Sparkes, CEO of Vortex Energy Corp., another Canadian company working to develop hydrogen salt storage caverns in Newfoundland.

    Hassan Dehghanpour, a petroleum engineering researcher at the University of Alberta, has been studying the feasibility of storing hydrogen in underground salt caverns. He said he believes underground storage makes more sense than the traditional method of storing hydrogen in surface-level tanks.

    "The advantage of caverns is that we can store significantly higher amounts of hydrogen," Dehghanpour said.

    "The other one is safety. If you want to store large amounts of hydrogen in surface facilities, there will always be a risk of explosion, while for caverns, they are more than two kilometres under the Earth's surface, so they are much safer."

    They are also relatively economical, he added. Dehghanpour said the initial cost of developing an individual salt cavern for hydrogen storage 鈥 the Fischell Salt Dome has space for several caverns 鈥 could be about $20 million, but once they are operational the long-term costs are minimal.

    Other countries around the world are also exploring the development of salt caverns for hydrogen. In Utah, a project called Advanced Clean Energy Storage is already under construction as part of what is expected to be the world鈥檚 largest industrial green hydrogen production and storage facility. Projects have also been proposed in Europe.

    Lemieux, of Triple Point Resources, said hydrogen has the potential to be used domestically to power the electricity grid, or can be converted into ammonia for shipment to export markets. In either case, the presence of naturally occurring salt caverns makes developing a hydrogen industry much more practical.

    "The salt cavern can solve a lot of the issues that we have with renewables, when it comes to the long-term storage of the energy," she said.

    "We can start using hydrogen on a larger scale, if we have the (storage) volume."

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2024.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A West Vancouver company has been ordered to repay a homebuyer's $1-million deposit after it failed to complete construction on the property in time.

    During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province 鈥 and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.

    video

    video

    Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.

    • It all happened within a matter of seconds. Christopher Taylor was biking near an East Vancouver park on a leisurely Sunday morning when he looked left to see a police cruiser barrelling toward him.

    • The parents of a teen who died of a suspected drug overdose are calling on the government to improve addiction and mental health care.

    • On the heels of a commanding performance at the only televised leaders鈥 debate of the 2024 provincial election, the leader of the BC Green Party was scheduled to speak at a lively rally after making a public safety announcement in downtown Vancouver, but lost her voice and missed it at the last minute.

    • William Osler Health System is apologizing for an incident in which an elderly Sikh patient鈥檚 facial hair was shaved 'without consent and without medical necessity' by staff at Brampton Civic Hospital.

    • Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is expressing regret for not attending a massive vigil held earlier this week where the city鈥檚 Jewish community commemorated one year since the October 7 terrorist attack. But her explanation isn鈥檛 adding up, event organizers say.

    • As hurricane Milton slams into Florida, many Canadians living in the storm's path are preparing to evacuate or hunker down.

    • Calgary police say more charges are expected against a man accused of intentionally starting a fire that caused an explosion in northeast Calgary over the weekend.

    • One person is dead following a motor-vehicle collision in Calgary's southwest on Wednesday evening.

    • Halloween is right around the corner, but residents of a South Kanata community say they've been living in what feels like a horror movie for over a month.

    • As the LRT's new north-south line prepares to open, many Barrhaven transit users will still have to use buses and transfer to commute downtown.

    • The City of Cornwall says it has 鈥減arted ways鈥 with Mathieu Fleury as the city's chief administrative officer, though the details of his departure are unclear.

    • Three young people aged 17, 19 and 20 were arrested after shots were fired late on Tuesday near Old Montreal.

    • Sam Montembeault made 47 saves, Cole Caufield scored the game-winning goal and the Montreal Canadiens opened the NHL season with a 1-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.

    • Residents are once again calling for the removal of the bike path along Terrebonne Street in NDG to be taken down because of disruptions to traffic and parking.

    • Residents of communities like Allard say there are traffic snarls on local roads every morning, leading to dangerous driving.

    • On Wednesday, Edmonton police posted video of a large encampment found excavated under the High Level Bridge in August.

    • Edmontonians are being asked to cast their ballot for the local bird they think best represents our city.

    • A 14-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy near a Halifax mall earlier this year.

    • Premier Tim Houston said he was notified on Monday morning that funds had been allegedly stolen from the Pictou East Riding Association.

    • A 42-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with human smuggling following an investigation near a Canada-U.S. border crossing in Manitoba.

    • A bill restricting the sale of long-bladed weapons was introduced in Manitoba Wednesday by Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.

    • A Winnipeg landlord is facing $9,000 in penalties following a mass eviction at a Winnipeg apartment block this summer.

    • A Saskatchewan Party candidate publicly apologized on Wednesday after it was revealed that he used a racial slur in caucus offices a year and a half ago.

    • For Scarlett Hicks, everyday life is challenging, as the two-year-old lives with a long list of medical conditions.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP say a larger police presence in Whitewood is related to a report of robbery with a firearm.

    • One person was struck by a GO train, near the Kitchener station, on Wednesday morning.

    • A former employee of CTV Kitchener has found a few memories buried in the walls of our old home at 864 King Street West.

    • Lithium batteries, found in everything from cellphones to electric vehicles, have become a part of our daily lives 鈥 but recent fires have prompted concerns about their use.

    • A Saskatchewan Party candidate publicly apologized on Wednesday after it was revealed that he used a racial slur in caucus offices a year and a half ago.

    • Healthcare workers rallied outside St. Paul鈥檚 Hospital in Saskatoon Wednesday, advocating for better conditions in emergency rooms.

    • Milton is shaping up to be a monster of a storm, expected to strike Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, just weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the region.

    • Western University and workers represented by CUPE 2361 have reached a tentative agreement. Members could be back to work as early as Oct. 17.

    • The London Knights were in Owen Sound Wednesday tonight with some reinforcements back in the lineup.

    • This latest crash was the second fatal and third serious accident at this intersection in the past couple of months - when asked, locals said that the intersection is 'kind of blind.'

    • A Barrie man accused of assaulting a police officer in late September, which then became the topic of conversation in parliament last week, has been denied bail.

    • Provincial police are investigating reports of an armed robbery in Amaranth Township that sent one person to the hospital in critical condition.

    • The jury reached a verdict on Wednesday in the 1994 Katherine Janeiro murder case, finding her former boyfriend, Bruce Ellis, not guilty.

    • Brett Iler pleaded not guilty to six charges Wednesday as a result of a double fatal collision in the 2022 RetroFest Classic Car Cruise.

    • video

      video

      Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.

    • The team responsible for rescuing a man found on the metal deck beneath the main roadway of the Ambassador Bridge is one of only four such teams in the province.

    • Abbas Motalebizadeh is a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria鈥檚 Mechanical Engineering Department and on Wednesday he was at the Victoria International Marina to test the Inner Harbour for microplastics.

    • During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province 鈥 and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.

    • American actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo is weighing in on British Columbia politics, lauding the B.C. Green Party's stance on fossil fuels ahead of the Oct. 19 election.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • Thousands more Lethbridge residents will soon be without a family doctor.

    • Alberta's police watchdog says the Medicine Hat police officers who were involved in an in-custody death in August 2023 acted reasonably and with appropriate force in dealing with a suspect armed with a machete.

    • Charges have been laid against a 44-year-old man following a traffic stop in Brocket, Piikani Nation RCMP said Tuesday.

    • An annual international mining conference is underway in Greater Sudbury, Ont., marking the first time the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Conference of Mining Regions and Cities has been held in North America.

    • Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

    • A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.

    N.L.

    Local Spotlight

    Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

    Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

    Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

    A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.

    Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

    A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

    Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

    Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

    Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • What the 5 stages of grief are, and how to get through them

      While there's debate among experts about the stages of grief, 'people who are in the pain of grief are just saying, 鈥楬elp me,'' death and grieving expert David Kessler said. Here's what the five stages of grief are, and how you can consider and process them in whichever order you experience them.

    Sports

    • There was a time J.T. Miller struggled to work his way into an NHL lineup. Now the 31-year-old is a stalwart centre for the Vancouver Canucks 鈥 and he's set to play his 800th regular-season game Wednesday.

    • Sam Montembeault made 47 saves, Cole Caufield scored the game-winning goal and the Montreal Canadiens opened the NHL season with a 1-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.

    Autos

    • video

      video

      Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.

    • Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new 鈥渋ncubator program鈥. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆传媒