Report on Green Hydrogen and Bioenergy

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As a member of the Energy Squad and CITEQ within the Synchronex network, Nergica is proud to have contributed to the drafting of a position paper on green hydrogen and bioenergy. Quebec must quickly position itself as a leader in the production and development of cutting-edge technologies.The energy transition necessarily requires synergy and broad mobilization among all stakeholders. Here we present the introduction to the white paper, which you can view below.

Introduction

First announced in the 2030 Green Economy Plan (PEV 2030) in 2020, the consultation by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MERN) on green hydrogen and bioenergy, which began in the spring of 2021, is part of an effort to update the master plan for the innovation and energy transition sector (SITE) with regard to Quebec’s strategy on green hydrogen and bioenergy. One of the goals of this consultation is to determine what roles green hydrogen and bioenergy can play in achieving Quebec’s climate goals for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is worth noting that Quebec has committed to reducing its GHG emissions by 37.5% from 1990 levels by 2030 and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The latest available data show that GHG emissions in Quebec in 2019 were only 2.7% lower than those in 1990. An analysis of the trend in annual GHG emissions in Quebec from 1990 to 2019 even suggests that since 2016—when GHG emissions were 9.1% lower than in 1990—the trend has been on the rise again.

We must acknowledge that, at this rate, Quebec is not on track to meet its 2030 GHG reduction targets. In this context, green hydrogen and bioenergy have the potential to complement energy efficiency and the direct electrification of the economy—measures that, on their own, cannot enable us to achieve our GHG emission reduction targets. In this brief, L’Escouade Énergie and CITEQ share their observations and recommendations with the aim of contributing to the development of a strategy on green hydrogen and bioenergy that will enable Quebec to play a major role on the global stage in the production of green hydrogen and bioenergy. Furthermore, this strategy will also enable Quebec to reduce its fossil fuel imports, which accounted for approximately 65% of the trade deficit in 2019.