ABB and Charbone Hydrogen have entered into a strategic collaboration aimed at developing up to 15 modular and scalable green hydrogen production facilities across Canada and the United States over the next five years. The companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which positions ABB as the preferred supplier of electrical substations to facilitate the interconnection between production sites and local utility grids.
Under the partnership, ABB will assist Charbone in standardizing engineering systems and components across its portfolio of green hydrogen projects, with a focus on enhancing energy efficiency and reliability. Depending on project requirements, ABB may also serve as the main contractor for automation, electrification, and telecommunications for the facilities.
Among the initial sites involved in the collaboration is Charbone’s flagship facility in Sorel-Tracy, located near Montreal, Québec. The facility is set to be connected to the Hydro-Québec grid by the end of the second quarter of 2025, using hydroelectric power to fuel the green hydrogen electrolysers. This site will serve as a model for the modular and scalable equipment design that will be used for future Charbone facilities.
The companies also plan to develop a new facility in the Detroit area, which is known as the manufacturing hub for major automotive companies in the U.S.
“This strategic collaboration with ABB is a strong and significant signal about our proposition for the North American green hydrogen market,” said Daniel Charette, Chief Operating Officer of Charbone. “With the Sorel-Tracy project moving quickly to on-site activities, and the capabilities of a plug-and-play modular approach to get production starting in a minimal number of weeks, Charbone will support the decarbonisation of industry.
Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB Energy Industries, emphasized the role of green hydrogen in the transition to a low-carbon energy future, stating, “Green hydrogen has an important role to play in the transition towards a low carbon energy future. We are proud to collaborate with Charbone on its strategy to develop and grow green hydrogen production facilities across North America.”
As part of the MoU, Charbone will also acquire ABB’s Extended Operator Workplace (EOW) system for all planned facilities, as well as a main operator workplace at Charbone’s headquarters to monitor operations. The EOWs, which will be the first installed in green hydrogen production plants in North America, are designed to improve production efficiency and reduce downtime through continuous monitoring from local and remote-control centers.
