Hydrogen and Ammonia Pathways Towards Net-Zero in the Northwest Territories

• Main Author: Cunningham, Zachary William
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Sustainable Energy Development 2022
• Subjects: Northwest Territories
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/115177; https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40199

Currently, the Northwest Territories (NWT) imports 89.3% of its energy in the form of fossil fuels to meet the demands of 45,132 people living in 33 communities. Due to this high fossil fuel usage, the NWT has per capita emissions 1.8x the Canadian average. To meet Canada's 2050 net-zero goal, there is a high need for a clean, robust, and resilient energy system in the NWT. This energy system analysis highlights the key sectors in the NWT that can be transitioned to zero-emission hydrogen and ammonia and determined the additional hydroelectric capacity that needs to be constructed to produce it. It was determined that by increasing the current hydroelectric capacity by 731 MW, enough electricity would be available to produce the hydrogen backbone of this energy system which provides a basis for a 100% reduction of fossil-based carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions when paired with increased electrification and drop-in biofuel substitution.