​Hydrogen peaking plant proposed for Municipality of Kincardine

Public Energy Inc. is planning to build a hydrogen peaking plant in the Bruce Energy Centre, located across from the Bruce Power Visitors’ Centre, in the Municipality of Kincardine.

John Douglas, chairman, and Dr. Denis Steyn, vice-chairman, of Public Energy were on hand at the Kincardine council meeting, Wednesday night (July 23), to present the proposal.

Douglas said the plant, the first of its kind in North America, would generate incremental revenue and diversify the tax base to support municipal services. It would also attract investment, create jobs and stimulate Kincardine’s local businesses through construction and operations.

He added that it makes sense to co-locate hydrogen production with nuclear generation so the benefits (jobs and tax revenue) accrue to the community of Kincardine. It would also mean upgrades to local infrastructure, such as transmission lines and substations, to benefit the entire community. And the company would create a Hydrogen Innovation Centre, a centre of excellence for the implementation of hydrogen generation.

Douglas said Public Energy was founded in 2018 as an independent power producer, providing distributed energy resources for its industrial clients and utility-scale power generation solutions for the grid.

Its leadership team has significant development, construction and operational experience in renewable energy, HVDC transmission and distributed energy resources. With a proven track record, working on Germany’s energy transition and recognizing new business opportunities, the team utilizes innovative business models to enhance Ontario’s energy system.

Public Energy owns and operates 30 megawatts (MW) of distributed, behind-the-metre generation that it designed, constructed and financed at customer facilities across Ontario. Its largest customer is Magna International Inc., a leading global auto-manufacturing supplier.



A drawing of the proposed hydrogen peaking plant in Kincardine

Douglas said the Ontario government is launching a second round of the Hydrogen Innovation Fund in 2025, investing $30-million in new hydrogen projects, such as this proposed hydrogen peaking plant.

He said Public Energy is in discussions with the owners of the Bruce Energy Centre about purchasing one of the available sites there which would be suitable for a hydrogen project.

In the report to council, Public Energy includes details about the project’s schedule, requirements, safety and standards.

The company plans to work with municipal staff toward a municipal project support resolution for September, 2025. It will consult with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, Nuclear Innovation Institute and Bruce Power on the project, and will hold a public open house in the community to provide information and answers to any questions people may have.

Douglas told council that the $60-million hydrogen peaking plant would generate 20 MW of energy and provide 20 full-time jobs. Located beside a nuclear plant, it would use off-peak power, he said.

As to the timeline, he expects the proposal to be submitted by December, with approvals by early 2026, and then proceed with the project.

Council agreed to refer the project to staff with a report back to council.