Enbridge Gas announces a $5.2M Hydrogen Blending Pilot Project to further explore greening of the natural gas grid

Using low carbon hydrogen produced at the Markham Power-to-Gas facility, a joint venture between Enbridge Gas Inc. and Cummins Inc.

TORONTO, Nov. 18, 2020 /CNW/ - Enbridge Gas and Cummins Inc., with the support of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (STDC) are undertaking a $5.2M project to pilot the blending of renewable hydrogen produced at the Markham, Ontario-located Power-to-Gas Facility, into a portion of the existing natural gas network serving about 3,600 customers in Markham in 2021.

This low carbon hydrogen-blending project is the first of its kind in North America and is an important step in greening the gas supply that millions of Ontario homeowners and businesses depend on to heat their homes and energize industry. The successful implementation will support Enbridge Gas in pursuing additional and larger scale hydrogen blending activities in other parts of its distribution system.

Enbridge is helping to drive Ontario's transition to a clean energy future through investments in clean energy opportunities across multiple markets. This includes hydrogen and renewable natural gas produced from organic waste, which can green the natural gas supply by reducing the amount of traditional or geological natural gas and reducing GHG emissions. These clean energy projects have the additional benefit of being made-in-Ontario clean-energy solutions which use existing pipeline infrastructure.

Quotes

"Today's announcement is great news for Ontario families and businesses in the Markham area. I'm excited to see the results of this innovative renewable hydrogen pilot project, which has the potential to play an important role in our province's energy future. Our government is proud to support the use of clean, reliable and affordable energy sources." Associate Minister of Energy, Ontario Government, Bill Walker

"I applaud Enbridge for their leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through this home-grown hydrogen-blending project. This kind of innovation and investment in clean, renewable energy programs aligns with the commitments in our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan to combat climate change and help create a healthy and prosperous future for all Ontarians." Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Ontario Government, Jeff Yurek

"Zero-carbon hydrogen can play a role in Ontario's shift to lower?carbon, sustainable energy solutions and is an important example of investments Enbridge is making across multiple markets to green the natural gas grid while continuing to meet the demand for safe, reliable and affordable energy." Cynthia Hansen, Executive Vice President & President, Gas Distribution & Storage.

"This Power-to-Gas project will demonstrate the potential of renewable hydrogen produced by electrolyzers to reduce carbon in the natural gas system. This is an example of how Cummins provides our customers with energy solutions, whether that is bringing lower carbon solutions to our roads or to our homes. Cummins continues to partner and invest to succeed in the world's energy transformation to the hydrogen economy." Amy Adams, VP, Cummins Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies

Key Facts

• On Oct. 29, 2020, the Ontario Energy Board approved an application by Enbridge Gas for a project to leverage the Markham Power-to-Gas facility in order to pilot the blending of renewable hydrogen gas into the existing natural gas network, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Through this pilot project, Enbridge Gas will initially provide a maximum hydrogen blended content of up to two percent of the natural gas supplied to approximately 3,600 customers in Markham, Ontario in Q3-2021, abating up to 117 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.
• The project will not impact customer bills.
• The Markham Power-to-Gas facility was commissioned in 2018 through a partnership between Enbridge and Cummins with support from the Province of Ontario. For the past two years this facility has been providing regulation services IESO to help balance electricity supply and demand and ensure system reliability.
• To learn more about Hydrogen Storage visit: https://www.enbridgegas.com/hydrogen.

About Enbridge Gas Inc.
Enbridge Gas Inc., formed on Jan. 1, 2019 from the amalgamation of Union Gas Limited and Enbridge Gas Distribution, is Canada's largest natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario with a more than 170-year history of providing safe and reliable service to customers. The distribution business serves about 3.8 million customers, heating over 75 per cent of Ontario homes. The storage and transmission business offers a variety of storage and transportation services to customers at the Dawn Hub, the largest integrated underground storage facility in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Enbridge Gas Inc. is owned by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian-based leader in energy transportation and distribution.

About Cummins Inc.
Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company's products range from diesel, natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains and powertrain-related components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, batteries, electrified power systems, hydrogen generation and fuel cell products. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana (U.S.), since its founding in 1919, Cummins employs approximately 61,600 people committed to powering a more prosperous world through three global corporate responsibility priorities critical to healthy communities: education, environment and equality of opportunity. Cummins serves its customers online, through a network of company-owned and independent distributor locations, and through thousands of dealer locations worldwide and earned about $2.3 billion on sales of $23.6 billion in 2019. See how Cummins is powering a world that's always on by accessing news releases and more information at https://www.cummins.com/always-on.

SOURCE Enbridge Gas Inc.