Canada’s ‘Hydrogen Moment Has Come,’ as Government Eyes Potential to Replace Natural Gas

Pipeline, processing and storage capacity additions would be needed to replace natural gas with zero-carbon hydrogen, according to a review of emerging international fuel substitution goals issued Wednesday by the Canadian government.

“At any pressure, the volumetric energy density of hydrogen is about one-third that of natural gas,” said the 141-page report, Hydrogen Strategy for Canada: A Call to Action. “Delivering the same amounts of energy to users would therefore necessitate increased volumetric flows.”

With the report’s release, Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan vowed to make Canada a global leader in the field. 

“Hydrogen’s moment has come,” he said.

However, replacing carbon-emitting fossil fuels would require more than only expanding current...