Energizing a brighter future for Alberta with hydrogen
By Lethbridge Herald on April 14, 2025.
By Nathan Neudorf
As Alberta grows, so does the need to make sure every Albertan has access to the affordable, reliable utilities.
From heating and cooling our homes, keeping businesses’ lights on, to providing new opportunities for entrepreneurs, utilities play a vital role in our province’s prosperity. Albertans and their families need to know that these utilities are there to support them in providing for their families and chasing their dreams.
As the Minister of Affordability and Utilities, this is my top priority. This week, I had the honour of acting on this priority by introducing Bill 52, Energy and Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025.
This bill proposes changes to meet growing demand, prioritizing reliability and affordability in the modernization of our utility system. If passed, this bill will pave the way for hydrogen blending in the natural gas system, as well as support critical updates to power market rules and transmission policies to strengthen the power grid, lower and stabilize utility bills, and encourage investment in the province.
Our government considers hydrogen a key area for growth.cThe world is looking to hydrogen as an energy solution for hard-to-decarbonize industries. As the largest hydrogen producer in Canada, Alberta has the right resources and expertise to be a destination of choice for investors and innovators.
The changes we’re making will not only support hydrogen blending but ensure the safety and reliability for the natural gas system. Changes will protect ratepayers from rising costs by ensuring only those who receive hydrogen-blended natural gas in their homes and businesses will pay for any additional system costs. At the same time, utility providers will also be required to ensure community support on hydrogen blending projects.
We’re also taking the first of many steps to restructure our energy market to ensure our power grid can meet growing electricity demand.
Proposed amendments will ensure there is enough power available, at all times, reducing the risk of grid alerts in the future.
Better yet, our government has heard Albertans’ frustration on rising transmission costs, and I’m so pleased that we’re making much-needed updates to protect ratepayers from these rising costs. This includes making better use of existing infrastructure by maximizing the use of existing lines and ensuring new projects are built in optimal locations.
Costs for any new transmission lines will also be assigned on a cost-causation basis to ensure Albertans are not burdened with the full cost of any new transmission lines that need to be built. This contrasts with what happened under the NDP, when the hastily pushed through their coal phase-out and renewable projects drastically increased the need for new transmission lines – driving up those costs.
The changes we are making put Albertans first, not ideology, and I know that they will ensure Alberta’s utility system can power prosperity for generations to come.
Nathan Neudorf is the MLA for Lethbridge East.
11-10
First, Stephen Harper initiated the phase-out of coal-fired electricity generation. Renewable energy expansion is normally called ‘free enterprise’ by libertarians (unless, that is, it challenges fossil fuel consumption or other ideological bugbears like reducing greenhouse gas emissions).
As for hydrogen, are we talking ‘hydrogen from reforming natural gas’? I’m sure we are.
So, there you have it. Using natural gas to make hydrogen to to replace natural gas in the home. Net cost – higher. Net emissions – higher.
Hydrogen is not an energy source. It is an energy carrier, like electricity.
The real question: Who benefits? Because this makes no sense. Surprisingly, the Alberta government website is pretty honest about the actual industrial uses of hydrogen (mainly reformed from natural gas) – the list doesn’t include dumping it into home heating.
It’s well documented that using hydrogen for fuel has been an economic and performative failure. It’s also a disaster environmentally. Given this, the claim of not putting ideology first is ludicrous.
The worst effect of this policy is that Southern Alberta needs transmission lines to make use of its abundant natural resources but is banned from building them. Once again, Mr. Neudorf is destroying jobs in the Lethbridge area and ensuring the energy industry can only operate in north & central Alberta. Locations where his constituents live are apparently ‘not optimal’, based on a failed understanding of how renewable energy works.
The Utilities Minister’s record stretch of shackling us to Canada’s highest electricity prices promises to continue unbroken. Even Ovechkin may look at this streak with envy someday.