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To the Calgary region’s hydrogen community,
After more than two years of strategic coordination between government, community and private partners, the CRH2 launched last March in a period of increased uncertainty for the global hydrogen sector. Several high-profile hydrogen bankruptcies occurred this year. U.S. energy policy shifted materially. In Canada, policy and investment discussions pivoted towards affordability and energy security as key pillars. These are very real headwinds, and it’s important to acknowledge the challenges facing the sector. At the same time, we also want to celebrate the tangible “made in Alberta” success stories that are helping move the sector forward. The hydrogen freight locomotive program led by CPKC has demonstrated reliable operation of hydrogen in heavy-duty rail applications. Municipal mobility pilots in the Edmonton region continued to operate and refuel reliably with Azolla Hydrogen’s station, and the Alberta Motor Transport Association continues to lead the charge in hydrogen heavy-duty trucking with its pilots.
Even as the hype begins to fade, hydrogen is still expected to play a larger role in our future energy system than it does today. That growth will be uneven across applications, and timelines are likely to be slower than initially anticipated. One thing we do know, though, is that Alberta’s low-cost natural gas resources, existing industrial base, and operational expertise make it arguably the best jurisdiction in the world for hydrogen to advance.
In the coming year, the CRH2 will be advancing foundational “table-setting” work to be ready when economic and policy conditions improve. This means identifying opportunities, aggregating regional demand with supply, and working with regional partners to identify the gaps and challenges that must be resolved.
We’d like to acknowledge our partners at Calgary Economic Development, The Transition Accelerator, and Wheatland County for making this work possible, and our funders at the City of Calgary, Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, and PrairiesCan for ongoing support. Just as importantly, we also want to thank everyone within the region who has taken part in the Hub’s webinars and events—your participation is incredibly important to the work the Hub does. Thank you for being part of this community.
Sincerely, Zak Cunningham CRH2 Lead
In April, the Calgary Region Hydrogen Hub team (Chris Brown, Mark Lea-Wilson, Hadi Shaker Shiran, Euan Alexander, and Zak Cunningham) travelled north to participate in the Canadian Hydrogen Convention. The team delivered two presentations: Mark Lea-Wilson on the use of “minimum viable corridors” to advance hydrogen in heavy trucking, and Zak Cunningham on ‘Hydrogen Deployment in Southern Alberta – The Next Logical Step’, which built on David Layzell’s foundational report that was the catalyst for the beginning of the Calgary Regional Hydrogen Hub.
The team also participated in two panels: Chris Brown took part in ‘East to West: Scaling Hydrogen Across Canada’s Hydrogen Hubs, which examined hydrogen’s role in Canada’s future energy mix. Zak Cunningham joined a panel alongside Brent Lakeman of the Edmonton Region Hydrogen Hub and Rebecca Goldsack from DTI to share insights into building the hydrogen economy in Alberta and what it takes to support this ecosystem. The overall theme of the convention was focusing on what’s practical and continuing to lay the groundwork for when the time is right.
In 2025, the Hub conducted six webinars with over 1,100 registrants, featuring candid conversations, lessons learned, and strategic thinking gathered from across the province. For 2026, we’ll be expanding our reach and bringing in experts from across the world to apply their experience to a Canadian context. All of our webinars are archived and linked below—we encourage you to catch up on any you missed and to share them widely with your colleagues.
The City of Calgary Climate and Environment Department is collaborating with the CRH2 to produce a foundational Opportunity Assessment that will provide city administration with essential, data-based knowledge regarding the local hydrogen economy. The resulting assessment provides a high-level but robust evaluation that compares the relative technical, environmental, and economic viability of key hydrogen production and end-use opportunities. By pairing these real-world data overlays with strategic engagement, the report serves as a critical resource intended to inform decision-makers on which opportunities should be prioritized within the Calgary context.
We want to thank the founding members of the Calgary Region Hydrogen Hub for their continued support as we work to develop a thriving and sustainable hydrogen economy.
Thank you to the Calgary Region Hydrogen Hub’s funders for making our work possible.
Want to stay in the loop about our upcoming events, analysis, and insights? Follow us on LinkedIn, and be sure to sign up for our mailing list. You can also email us at admin@calgaryhydrogen.ca
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