Trigon Pacific Terminals has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea to develop a market for Canadian ammonia, a carrier for hydrogen.
Trigon is building a new berth at its terminal in Prince Rupert that will be dedicated to exporting clean fuels, such as ammonia.
In an MOU signed with the Ulsan Free Economic Zone Authority, Trigon with work with the South Koreans to develop ammonia receiving terminals in Ulsan. Once the ammonia is received, it can be decomposed into hydrogen and nitrogen.
"Trigon has been actively advancing development of a Canadian west coast export corridor for the shipment of hydrogen-as-ammonia from Canada to global markets,” Trigon CEO Rob Booker said in a press release. “Today's MOU with UFEZ further strengthens the strong ties between our two nations and our organizations.”
There is a demand for hydrogen in South Korea and Japan, and Canada aims to become a low-carbon hydrogen producer.
Trigon, formerly Ridley Terminals, is primarily a coal export terminal. But with the Trudeau government’s plan to end thermal coal exports from Canada by 2030, Trigon has been pivoting to become a bulk fuels exporter.
Its $163-million Berth Two Beyond Carbon project, which received $75 million from the federal government under the National Trade Corridors Fund, will be dedicated to the export of “clean fuels” like hydrogen-as-ammonia to markets in Asia.
The ammonia would come mainly from Alberta, initially, and would travel to Prince Rupert by rail via the CN northern line.
Canada currently produces only about five million tonnes of ammonia annually, mostly for producing fertilizer.
There are a number of hydrogen-ammonia production projects proposed in Alberta, which has the natural gas, refining capacity and carbon capture and storage infrastructure needed to produce blue hydrogen (i.e. hydrogen from natural gas with CO2 captured and sequestered).
