WINNIPEG, Manitoba- The Canadian province of Alberta will look to use its plentiful natural gas reserves to become an exporter of hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel, by 2040, the Globe and Mail newspaper said on Tuesday, citing an interview with Alberta's associate natural gas minister.
The province, whose gas is processed into plastics as well as used for heating fuel, also wants to become a hub for recycling plastic waste by 2030, the newspaper reported. The report said Alberta wants to see several additional liquefied natural gas terminals online in Canada by 2030 as well.
Associate Minister of Natural Gas Dale Nally told the newspaper Alberta plans to have a strategy to develop hydrogen by 2023. The minister's spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for confirmation.
The Canadian government is also developing a hydrogen plan, along with many other nations.
The pandemic has hit Alberta's oil industry hard, as travel restrictions crushed demand for fuel. The province's struggles date back years, however, as the oil sands' high emissions made it a target for environmental activists and have led to some investors, banks and insurers cutting ties with the industry.
Hydrogen would help diversify Alberta's economy, although Nally told Reuters last month that it offered a means to expand oil and gas production.
(Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba Editing by Marguerita Choy) ((rod.nickel@tr.com; Twitter: @RodNickel_Rtrs; 1-204-230-6043;))
