Could a Hydrogen Plant Rise out of a Retired Whatcom County Smelter?
Nearly a year after Alcoa Corporation announced an agreement to sell its closed Intalco Works aluminum smelter to a Canadian energy company, the prospective buyer continues to hold its cards close to the vest. Executives with Calgary-based AltaGas Ltd. are now offering a few more clues about their plans to redevelop the sprawling complex near Ferndale to produce “green” hydrogen, a fuel the federal government is willing to generously subsidize if the production process is truly clean.
A rebirth of the former smelter site as a big hydrogen factory could hinge on finding an affordable, high-volume supplier of renewable electricity. That echoes the challenge faced by a prior suitor for the Alcoa property. Blue Wolf Capital had plans to make “green” aluminum there with cut-rate hydropower, but faltered in 2022 when the requisite power could not be procured.
AltaGas struck an upbeat tone about its hydrogen plan during a recent presentation to Canadian stock analysts. The natural gas-focused company celebrated its inclusion in the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub initiative to catalyze production and uses for the zero-carbon fuel. But notably, a company leader chose the words “potential project” to describe the Alcoa smelter redevelopment.
“These are early days,” AltaGas Executive Vice President Randy Toone said during an investor day presentation in Toronto in December. “We have access to renewable power, the land is industrially zoned, and it has existing infrastructure that can be repurposed.”
https://www.postalley.org/2024/01/28/could-a-hydrogen-plant-rise-out-of-a-retired-whatcom-county-smelter/
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