OTTAWA – BUSINESS – The specialty gas market is categorized into six applications: electronics and semiconductors, refrigeration, analytical and calibration, medical and healthcare, manufacturing, and others. The global specialty gas market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1% from 2019 to 2026. In addition to the various applications, ingredients and gas types are directly contributing to the market’s growth.
According to Gas World, in Canada, a new project is underway that will revamp specialty gas usage within Alberta’s freight transportation sector. Though 95% of the world’s cargo moves via ship, trucking is still widely used across North America. The Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) will now receive $7.3 million from Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the province and work towards a low-carbon economy.
“This is a very exciting project for the AMTA and our member companies,” said Chris Nash, president of the AMTA. “This initiative is primarily about moving freight on Alberta’s highways with zero emissions, but it is also about the future of the Alberta economy. Alberta is in the transportation fuel business, and that business is changing. The Alberta Zero Emissions Truck Electrification Collaboration (AZETEC) project demonstrates that Alberta’s commercial transportation industry is leading the transition towards innovative, zero-emission transportation that meets the province’s unique needs.”
This three-year project will run until the middle of 2022 and will involve both the designing and manufacturing of two heavy duty, extended-range hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid trucks, which will transport freight year-round across Canada, between Calgary and Edmonton.
In addition to the $7.3 million given to the AMTA, the ERA is awarding up to $100 million for 15 other clean energy projects across the country. According to JWN Energy, 16 biotechnology, electricity, and sustainable transportation (BEST) projects will receive a combined $100 million from the ERA. The BEST challenge was launched in 2018 initially at $70 million and the ERA received 180 expressions of interest within months of the project’s launch.
All these energy projects are expected to account for cumulative greenhouse gas reductions of 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030.
