A Canada-Germany Hydrogen Scandal?

James Fleay, an Australian engineer and project manager in the
energy sector, joins Dr. Keefer to discuss the "Hydrogen
Alliance" proposed between Canada and Germany.  


This Hydrogen Alliance is coming under increasing scrutiny due to
allegations of a conflict of interest arising out of the Premier
of Newfoundland, Andrew Furey's luxury trip to a lodge owned by
Canadian billionaire John Risley this summer. 


Risley happens to be one of the principal investors in a project
called Nujio’qonik, one of three projects competing to be part of
the Canada German Hydrogen Alliance alongside EverWind Fuels in
Nova Scotia and the Port of Belledune project in New Brunswick.


Beyond a potential political scandal lies a very real energy
scandal. 


Fleay describes the chemistry, thermodynamics, and economics
required to turn electrons generated by wind turbines in Canada
into ammonia to be shipped across the Atlantic to be burned in
German Power plants, a process which he describes as being "The
least efficient way to get electrons on the German grid
imaginable." Decouple takes a look at who will foot the bill and
who will profit. 


The total output of the Canada German Hydrogen Alliance which
requires a near doubling of Canada's total national wind fleet,
expensive electrolysis equipment, ammonia production through the
energy intensive Haber Bosch process, large scale shipping and
potential energy hungry reconversion to hydrogen for burning as
fuel in German thermal plants is almost equal to the output of a
single German nuclear station, ISAR 2, one of the three remaining
nuclear plants still under threat of closure in Germany. 


With the myth of cheap Canadian exportable hydrogen as a tool to
replace Russian natural gas busted we examine Canada's only truly
green and ultra low carbon energy export: its nuclear technology
and uranium which is already used in near carbon free power
plants domestically and around the world offsetting a full 1/3 of
Canada's total all sector emissions. 


Hang onto your hats. This is an interesting one.