A Quebec company wants to supply ecological fuel to heavy goods vehicles traveling between Greater Montreal and Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Hydrolux plans to equip the Route 117 corridor with two “green hydrogen” refueling stations within two years.
Posted at 9:00 a.m.
According to Hydrolux, this project could avoid the emission of more than 20,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHG) in its initial phase, the equivalent of removing 4,300 cars from the roads of Quebec.
“These would be the first two stations in Quebec for heavy transport,” says Friedrich Dehem-Lemelin, president and CEO of Hydrolux. “There are still some authorizations to obtain, but all the steps are well underway. »
“Although Project 117 is designed primarily for heavy trucking, motorists who have purchased hydrogen cars will also be able to get fuel at these stations,” the company said in a press release. There is currently only one hydrogen fueling station in the province, and it is not intended for heavy trucks.
The future stations will be located in Saint-Jérôme and Val-d’Or, between which Route 117 winds for nearly 500 km. The idea is to decarbonize “a section that a truck [électrique] couldn’t do,” due to the limited range of today’s batteries, says Dehem-Lemelin.
“Many transport companies in Quebec as well as industrial partners have already expressed their interest”, assures Hydrolux in its press release.
One of these companies is Groupe Morneau, whose trucks make dozens of round trips each week between Abitibi-Témiscamingue and the metropolitan area.
“We want to do our part for society as much as possible, and we invest a lot in green energy,” said David Morneau, vice-president and chief operating officer of the carrier. Groupe Morneau aims for half of its truck fleet to run on “green energy” by 2035, split between hydrogen and electricity.
Already, the company has an electric truck that makes deliveries in Quebec. But as Mr. Dehem-Lemelin points out, the autonomy of the batteries limits its use for interregional transport.
“We, as an operator, are sure we are ready” to bet on hydrogen, says Groupe Morneau’s director of technical services, Denis Marcotte. All the company needs is a fuel supplier, like Hydrolux, and trucks in the market.
The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MERN) indicates that it “knows the project proposed by Hydrolux and has held a few meetings with the company” and claims to have been approached by others in the field.
“The MERN is not in a position to confirm that the deadline [de deux ans] is realistic, not knowing in detail what phase of design the project is at, ”says spokesperson Eric de Montigny, however.