30+ organizations across the value chain
Technology OEMs, supply chain, prospective offtakers, academic institutions, and First Nations being engaged for the PDEC system - all within the Metro Vancouver region.
Prospective offtaker demand
Modelled hydrogen demand across 12 identified application categories spanning transit, marine, port operations, defense, rail, aviation, and industrial power. Figures are derived from published fleet data and equipment specifications.
| Application | H2 (kg/day) | Diesel (L/yr) | CO2 (t/yr) | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transit buses (80 FCEBs) | Transit | |||
| Hullo Ferries (4 vessels) | Marine | |||
| Harbour tugs + Seaspan (15+) | Marine | |||
| Port cranes + mobile equip | Port | |||
| BC Ferries (2 routes) | Marine | |||
| Drayage trucks (25) | Port | |||
| SeaBus (4 vessels) | Marine | |||
| West Coast Express | Transit | |||
| CPKC H2 locomotives | Rail | |||
| DND Pacific (shore power) | Defense | |||
| Film + construction gensets | Other | |||
| Harbour Air seaplanes | Aviation | |||
| Total | 47,090 | 66,200,000 | 87,538 |
Demand by sector
18,090 kg/day modelled demand distributed across seven sectors. Marine accounts for 37%, followed by transit at 23%.
Technology OEMs
BC-based fuel cell and energy storage manufacturers with production-ready hardware for marine, transit, and port applications.
Ballard Power Systems
Burnaby, BC
FCwave marine fuel cell module (DNV Type Approved). FCmove-HD+ for heavy-duty transit and trucking. Primary fuel cell supplier for all marine, rail, and bus applications.
Corvus Energy
Richmond, BC
Marine battery energy storage systems (BESS). Deployed on 1,300+ vessels globally. Selected by Damen and BC Ferries for 4 new electric Island Class ferries.
HTEC
Vancouver, BC
1.8 t/day Burnaby station. 15 t/day North Vancouver liquid H2 facility ($140M, ERCO Worldwide byproduct capture, development permits granted). $337M CIB investment commitment + $49M SIF. North Van site across Burrard Inlet from Waterfront hub enables potential third-party supply integration via barge.
Quantum Technology
Squamish, BC
Canada's first large-scale hydrogen liquefier manufacturer. 40 years in cryogenic gas systems. Multi-ton-per-day liquefiers and fuel-cell-quality purification systems. ISO 9001. Canadian Hydrogen Association member.
Greenlight Innovation
Burnaby, BC
Fuel cell and electrolyzer test stations. Global leader in testing, certification, and quality assurance for mass production. SFU/Mitacs partnership.
Westport Fuel Systems
Metro Vancouver, BC
Engineering and manufacturing alternative fuel systems and components for transportation. Supplies both OEMs and the independent aftermarket.
Unilia Fuel Cells
Vancouver, BC
Hydrogen fuel cell stack engineering and at-scale manufacturing. Led by industry veterans focusing on electrochemical engineering for vehicle electrification.
Hillcrest Energy Technologies
Vancouver, BC
High-efficiency power conversion technologies for marine and heavy-duty transit. Co-develops marine electrification and energy storage solutions with partners like Ocean Batteries.
Shift Clean Energy
Vancouver, BC
Advanced marine energy storage systems for hybrid and electric ferries, tugs, and port infrastructure. Subscription-based, pay-as-you-go integrated battery solutions for maritime.
Supply chain
Infrastructure owners, energy utilities, and potential investment participants whose assets and capabilities are relevant to hydrogen production.
BC Hydro
Burrard Thermal site owner. Grid interconnection at three high-voltage points. Industrial transmission service supplies the electrolyzer at competitive rates.
FortisBC
Existing gas pipeline at Burrard Thermal. 15% hydrogen blending study (largest in North America, with DNV and Enbridge). $25M Clean Growth Innovation Fund.
NorthX Climate Tech
$46M invested across 74 climate hard-tech projects. 10:1 private capital multiplier ($478M follow-on). Potential Phase 0 seed funder for feasibility study.
Enbridge
Westcoast natural gas transmission system in BC. Joint hydrogen blending feasibility study with FortisBC and DNV.
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
Owns Waterfront Station dispensing hub site (federal land). Port infrastructure partner for marine fuelling and drayage truck applications.
Ekona Power
BC-based methane pyrolysis technology. Benchmark carbon black pricing ($800-$1,500/t). $3.6M PacifiCan funding. Directly relevant to PDEC pyrolysis pathway.
DNV
Global classification and certification. Hydrogen safety standards and Type Approval for marine fuel cells. Partner on FortisBC/Enbridge hydrogen blending study.
Salish Elements
Indigenous-led green hydrogen producer, majority-owned by Tsleil-Waututh Nation. $4.5M NRCan Clean Fuels Fund for 25 MW facility. Co-founded by Rueben George (Tsleil-Waututh) and Omar Kassem.
CPKC
Hydrogen locomotive program (CP1201) deployed March 2025, hauling Elk Valley coal trains over the Rockies. Burrard Thermal sits on the CP mainline. Key partner for Phase 3 green steel corridor and locomotive refueling.
Elk Valley Resources
Glencore (77%), Nippon Steel (20%), POSCO (3%). BC's largest met coal operation (12.5 Mt in H2 2024). Phase 3 green steel corridor target: HBI production using PDEC hydrogen, exported to Asian steelmakers via Port of Vancouver.
Nippon Steel
Japan's largest steelmaker. 20% equity in Elk Valley Resources. Active hydrogen DRI research program. Natural offtaker for green HBI produced with PDEC hydrogen, exported via established Pacific trade routes.
POSCO
South Korea's largest steelmaker. 3% equity in Elk Valley Resources. US$40B investment in green steel transition announced. Second natural Asian offtaker for Elk Valley green HBI.
Department of National Defence
CFB Esquimalt is Canada's largest Pacific naval base. DND is the federal government's largest GHG emitter (61% of all federal emissions) and is mandated to decarbonize under the Defence Climate and Sustainability Strategy. The IDEaS program actively funds hydrogen storage R&D ($6.75M per project). PDEC's civilian hydrogen infrastructure could serve defense applications without dedicated military procurement, strengthening the project's dual-use investment case.
Academic consortium
Four BC universities contribute research capacity in fuel cells, hydrogen systems, techno-economic analysis, and workforce development.
University of Victoria
IESVic - Institute for Integrated Energy Systems. Decades of PEM fuel cell and hydrogen research. Techno-economic analysis capability.
PICS - Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. Carbon economics and policy analysis.
Gustavson - MBA in Sustainable Innovation. Business case development.
Simon Fraser University
FCReL - Fuel Cell Research Lab, SFU Surrey. Led by Dr. Erik Kjeang. PEM fuel cell and water electrolysis research.
10-year Ballard partnership. 50+ trained graduates in the hydrogen sector. Co-located with Ballard and PowerTech Labs.
University of British Columbia
CERC - Clean Energy Research Centre. BCKDF funding ($1.3M).
SHED - $23M Smart Hydrogen Energy District. Electrolyzer, refuelling station, solar array.
MeridaLabs - Led by Dr. Walter Merida. BC's first H2 station for light and heavy-duty vehicles.
UBCO H2LAB - Advanced hydrogen research. FortisBC-funded blending research.
BCIT
Marine and trades training for hydrogen safety certification. Workforce development pipeline for technicians and operators across fuel cell and electrolyzer systems.
First Nations
PDEC is located within the shared territories of the Coast Salish peoples. Meaningful engagement and equity participation with First Nations is foundational to the project design. Conversations are underway.
Tsleil-Waututh Nation
Burrard Thermal site within traditional territory. Existing economic relationship with GCT via SPAL General Constructors Corporation (renewable fuel supply at Vanterm) provides a relevant precedent.
Squamish Nation
UBC CERC clean energy research on Squamish territory. Councillor Chris Lewis is a public champion of clean energy transition. Squamish Clean Technology Association active in region.
Musqueam (xwmethkweyem)
UBC SHED and CERC on Musqueam territory. Waterfront hub within Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh shared territories.
Haisla Nation
HaiSea Marine joint venture with Seaspan (world's first electric tugboat). A potential template for Indigenous co-ownership in marine clean energy fleet conversion.
Read the Executive Briefing
Full technical and economic analysis with engagement details.
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