New on the shelf: Canadian Hydrogen Installation Code (CHIC)

    QUEBEC, July 3 /CNW Telbec/ - A new Hydrogen Installation Code defining
in a comprehensive document the installation requirements of different types
of hydrogen installations heralds a new era for the advancement of the
Hydrogen Economy in Canada.
    Until now, hydrogen installations could only be put in place following
approval by the competent authority under an exemption procedure, a tedious
process both for the owner of the hydrogen installation and the regulatory
authority.
    Published by the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ) as a National
Standard of Canada, the Canadian Hydrogen Installation Code (CHIC) (CAN/BNQ
1784-000) will help pave the way for a greater use of hydrogen as an energy
carrier by guiding safe design and facilitating the approval process of
hydrogen installations across Canada.
    "Working together with stakeholders, we can help make hydrogen the fuel
of the future" says Randy Dey, from The CCS Global Group, who chairs the
technical committee that developed this new document. "The CHIC, which is the
first of its kind, fills a gap and provides Canadian industry and regulatory
authorities with a much needed tool for use with hydrogen installations."
    The need for such a code had been recognized from the outset by the
Governments of Canada and Québec, which both sponsored the development of the
new code.
    "Through the ecoACTION initiatives, our Government is committed to
supporting the development of clean energy sources such as hydrogen," said the
Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. "This new code
will further facilitate the commercialization of hydrogen and fuel-cell
technologies as well as help build consumer confidence in the use of hydrogen
as a clean, safe source of energy."
    "Our government supports the development of consensus based standards as
an efficient means towards regulation," maintains Mr. Raymond Bachand,
Minister of Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation du
Québec. "The Canadian Hydrogen Installation Code is part of a process that the
Québec government has been supporting since 1994 and which is intended to
promote the development of hydrogen technologies in Québec."
    As an example, the CHIC defines the installations requirements of
hydrogen refilling stations that dispense gaseous hydrogen, whether the
hydrogen is produced on site by water electrolysis or natural gas reforming or
delivered by truck in a liquid or a gaseous form. It also provides the
guidelines for the installation of fuel cells and internal combustion engines
that provide emergency or back-up power to commercial buildings and
residential homes.
    It has been approved by the Interprovincial Gas Advisory Council (IGAC),
which represents 14 regulatory authorities across Canada from the federal,
provincial and territorial regions.

For further information: on how to obtain a copy of the Canadian
Hydrogen Installation Code (CHIC), please contact BNQ at 333, rue Franquet,
Québec (Québec) G1P 4C7, [phone], Fax: [phone], www.bnq.qc.ca,
or write to [e-mail]; For technical information: Sylvie Gingras, BNQ,
[phone], ext. 2655, Fax: [phone], [e-mail];
Natural Resources Canada: Kathleen Olson, Director of Communications, Office
of the Minister of Natural Resources, Ottawa, [phone]