Building a stronger Canada
Environmental, economic, and social outcomes from converting a decommissioned fossil fuel plant into a clean energy campus serving twenty-six offtaker applications across Metro Vancouver.
Reconciliation and Indigenous equity participation
The project is designed to offer Indigenous equity participation, employment targets, procurement commitments, and revenue sharing from inception. Aligned with TRC Call to Action #92, UNDRIP, and BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Engagement with all four Nations is underway.
Indigenous co-ownership, if secured, would strengthen political durability, expand Major Projects Office eligibility, and build the broad community support that single-champion projects lack.
Environmental impact
Replacing diesel fuel across twenty-six offtaker applications in Metro Vancouver produces measurable air quality and climate outcomes in one of Canada's densest urban harbours.
Well-to-wheel basis. Equivalent to removing 19,030 passenger cars permanently.
Across ferries, tugs, buses, trains, trucks, port equipment, and seaplanes.
Marine diesel combustion eliminated at the Waterfront hub. Direct health benefit for Coal Harbour, Gastown, and the DTES.
Precursor to ground-level ozone. Reduces respiratory illness in urban harbour populations.
Jobs and workforce development
The project creates skilled employment at both the Burrard Thermal campus and the Waterfront dispensing hub, with a training pipeline through BC's post-secondary institutions.
Permanent operations
$70K-$150K+ salary range. Electrolyzer technicians, pyrolysis operators, dispensing specialists, marine bunkering operators, maintenance engineers, safety officers, plant management.
Construction phase
Electrical, mechanical, piping, civil, and instrumentation trades for electrolyzer installation, compression and storage, dispensing infrastructure, marine bunkering arm, and vessel retrofits.
Training pipeline
BCIT hydrogen safety certification. Marine and trades training adapted for H2 handling. UBC SHED hands-on electrolyzer and refuelling experience. 10-year Ballard/SFU partnership.
Phase 3 workforce expansion: Green steel corridor to Elk Valley creates additional production and logistics positions at Burrard Thermal, and supports the retention of 5,400 Elk Valley met coal workers through the transition to green HBI production. Aligned with the federal Sustainable Jobs Act (June 2024).
Energy security and trade diversification
The Trans Mountain Expansion reduced U.S. oil dependency from 97% to 84% in under two years, proving that Pacific export infrastructure changes Canada's trade position. PDEC extends this diversification to hydrogen, creating a new clean fuel export commodity for allies in Asia and Europe actively seeking stable, democratic-origin suppliers.
Asia-Pacific export
LH2 or ammonia via VFPA deep-water berths to Japan, South Korea, and Germany - all with published national hydrogen import strategies.
Democratic-origin fuel
BC Hydro's 98% clean grid. Verifiable carbon intensity under BC LCFS and Canada's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
Reduced U.S. dependence
New trade corridors to Pacific Rim partners reduce Canada's exposure to bilateral trade policy changes.
Federal alignment
$5B Trade Diversification Corridor Fund, Budget 2025 Super-Deduction, and Major Projects Office fast-track framework.
Defense and sovereign fuel
The same hydrogen infrastructure serving civilian transit and marine applications can supply military bases like CFB Esquimalt. DND is the federal government's largest emitter (61% of federal GHGs) and is mandated to decarbonize. Dual-use framing strengthens the sovereign fuel narrative for investors without requiring dedicated military procurement.
Phase 3: Green steel corridor
In Phase 3 (2033+), green hydrogen via CP Rail to Elk Valley for HBI production. Base case 250,000 t/yr HBI would generate $63.6M combined EBITDA (Phase 1 + Phase 3). A just transition for 5,400 met coal workers, with Nippon Steel (20%) and POSCO (3%) equity in Elk Valley Resources providing built-in Asian offtake.
Natural gas sector transformation
Methane pyrolysis converts BC natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon with zero CO2 emissions. This creates a high-value downstream market for Montney formation gas without new pipeline construction.
Existing FortisBC pipeline. $0.11 in, $11-14 out per kg.
26 offtaker applications. Replaces diesel at competitive lifecycle cost.
Premium carbon black. Tires, battery electrodes, industrial. Ekona $800-$1,500/t.
Preserves gas sector employment, uses existing infrastructure, and eliminates CO2 emissions. FortisBC's 15% hydrogen blending study (with DNV and Enbridge) provides an additional offtake pathway.
Municipal impact
The Burrard Thermal site has been decommissioned since 2016. Industrial reuse of the 193-acre campus restores economic activity to Port Moody and eliminates the maintenance cost of a dormant facility.
Tax revenue
Restored to the City of Port Moody. This revenue has been absent since decommissioning in 2016.
Site reuse
Industrially zoned Crown land, no residential adjacency, permitted for heavy energy use. Avoids the cost and delay of greenfield development.
District energy
Fed into Port Moody district energy systems. Additional community benefit beyond direct hydrogen production.
Why not housing? Burrard Thermal is a 1960s-era brownfield with potential contamination requiring remediation before any residential use. The site is zoned industrial with no residential adjacency. Its existing high-voltage grid interconnection, gas pipeline, deep-water port, and rail access represent tens of millions in infrastructure value that would be demolished for residential conversion. Port Moody council is actively seeking industrial reuse, not rezoning.
Read the full briefing
Technical, economic, and partnership details in a single document.
Executive Briefing