Nikola teams up on hydrogen hubs with TC Energy
We are excited to announce another important step forward in meeting our stated energy infrastructure plans to provide hydrogen fueling services for customers. Read the details here: https://t.co/pFBE04HdC5 @opalfuels
These locations will be used for zero-emission fuel cell trucks in partnership with the oil and gas giant.
Nikola Corp (NASDAQ stock symbol NKLA) has entered into a partnership with oil and gas giant TC Energy (TSE stock symbol TRP) to build hydrogen hubs meant for fuel cell trucks.The energy partner is the company known for the recently canceled Keystone XL pipeline project.
Instead, TC Energy will now work with Nikola Corp on the construction and operation of hydrogen hubs that will produce H2 to be used for powering emission-free fuel cell electric trucks. Both Nikola and TC Energy have stated that they intend to collaborate on the design, construction and operation of high-volume H2 production facilities over the next half decade. These new locations, said a recent Forbes report, will provide considerably greater capacity than the existing stations Nikola has built.At first, Nikola, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, plans to operate hydrogen stations with a production capacity as high as 8 tons of H2 per day. The TC Energy (headquartered in Calgary, Canada) partnership will skyrocket this capacity, with the hydrogen hubs generating at least 150 tons of H2 daily. This fuel will be used to power fuel cell trucks and for other TC Energy customers.We are excited to announce another important step forward in meeting our stated energy infrastructure plans to provide hydrogen fueling services for customers. Read the details here: https://t.co/pFBE04HdC5 @opalfuels
— Nikola Motor Company (@nikolamotor) September 30, 2021
Nikola’s partnerships have been rapidly expanding both including and beyond the hydrogen hubs.
This new partnership between Nikola and TC Energy does not suggest that the Canadian company is investing in the American business. Moreover, as of the writing of this article, the companies have yet to outline exactly how much each of the hydrogen hubs will cost to build. That said, they have stated that they will be using different base materials for producing H2 depending on the local market conditions. While some may use renewable energy where appropriate for producing green hydrogen, the companies have also stated that biomass and natural gas will also be considered for blue hydrogen production where it is more feasible. That said, it also pointed out that it intends to capture carbon dioxide byproduct when necessary.The hydrogen hubs collaboration presents a meaningful direction for both companies
“We see the opportunity to partner with Nikola (as a way) to identify and expand our customer base, using the infrastructure and skill sets that we have, to provide that backbone infrastructure that will be required as the hydrogen economy grows over the coming years,” said TC Energy senior vice president Corey Hessen, who is also the company’s power and storage division president. “We’re a company that’s embedded in the energy business, irrespective of what technology is being used. Hydrogen is just another commodity that we can deliver to them.”This partnership represents yet another powerful step ahead for Nikola, which has been struggling through a very difficult year. The company’s former executive chair and founder, Trevor Milton, was indicted for fraud at the end of July, devastating the company’s reputation. Since then, it has been moving rapidly to partner with energy and technology leading organizations to establish itself in a far more positive light within the zero-emission market. Among the company’s recent moves included a fuel cell module deal with Bosch in September. Moreover, not even a month after that news was announced, it announced a North American hydrogen fueling station construction agreement with Opal Fuels.By leveraging our natural gas and power operations footprint, we see this new agreement with @nikolamotor as an important first step in facilitating access to low-carbon production of #hydrogen for the transportation and industrial sector. https://t.co/noTzX37cxN
— TC Energy (@TCEnergy) October 7, 2021