VICTORIA, Dec. 1, 2006 -- Canada NewsWire

 

The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, officially launched the Victoria fuelling station, which is the newest addition to BC's Hydrogen Highway(TM).

BOC Gases, a subsidiary of the Linde Group, together with BC Hydro, completed the construction of the anchor fuelling station at BC Transit's Langford facility near Victoria. The Victoria station is set up to dispense fuel to support one of the Vancouver Fuel Cell Vehicle Program's fuel-cell vehicle, which is operated by BC Transit and the Province of BC in the Victoria region.

Natural Resources Canada, through the Canadian Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance, contributed $480,000 to the project. The permanent facility cost of construction and initial operation is $1,006,628.

"We are very proud to be involved in the opening of the Victoria Hydrogen Fuelling Station," said Minister Lunn. "It's a key step towards the successful completion of the hydrogen highway and another way Canada's New Government is demonstrating its commitment to clean energy as part of our environmental approach for clean air."

The Victoria Station uses a three-tiered storage bank of low-, medium- and high-pressure storage cylinders. As the Victoria hydrogen vehicle fleet expands, additional storage cylinders can be added to support the incremental load of next-generation fuel-cell vehicles.

"The opening of the Victoria hydrogen refuelling station reinforces our position as a world leader in the development of alternative energy projects," said Richard Neufeld, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. "The Hydrogen Highway showcases British Columbia's hydrogen fuel cell technology and demonstrates our commitment to hydrogen fuel cells as a zero-emission transportation solution."

BC Transit has begun to forge a path ahead with hydrogen-fuelled transportation. The province-wide transit authority has recently issued a request for proposals to develop pre-production hydrogen fuel-cell buses that could be used for commercial use. The project will demonstrate the integration of hydrogen fuel-cell buses into the regular operational service of an urban transit system. This fleet deployment will allow BC Transit to monitor operations, maintenance and fuelling over a sustained period.

"Transit is a logical place to implement hydrogen technology due to the centralized service where buses fuel from a central facility," said Mayor Don Amos, Chair of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission. "Operating the Ford fuel cell car was a natural precursor to the proposal, as it helps BC Transit staff learn more about fuel cell and hydrogen technology."

"The Victoria Station is an excellent demonstration of the practical deployment of existing and advanced technology in innovative ways to realize safe, reliable, and economically feasible hydrogen fuelling solutions," said Dr. Joachin Wolf, Executive Director of Hydrogen Solutions, The Linde Group.

In addition to Natural Resources Canada, the project was made possible with financial support from BOC Gases, a company of the Linde group, and BC Hydro.

SOURCE: BC Transit

SOURCE: Natural Resources Canada

SOURCE: BC Hydro

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