Cipher Neutron Inc. (CN; Toronto) and Strategic Resources Inc. (Montreal) jointly announce that they have executed a collaboration agreement to study supplying the BlackRock Project’s metallurgical facility (owned by Strategic), located in Saguenay, Québec (Canada) with Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) Electrolyzers. These AEM Electrolyzers manufactured by Cipher Neutron will be designed to produce Green Hydrogen in order to support the transition to Green Steel. As per Strategic’s recent NI 43-101 Feasibility Study, Strategic plans on using natural gas for its Tenova HYL Energiron direct reduction plant, which can also use hydrogen. The Collaboration Agreement will enable Strategic to accelerate its hydrogen development roadmap and move towards producing near emissions free iron metallic products for use in electric arc furnaces and steel foundries.
The Collaboration Agreement enables Strategic to consider the use of AEM Electrolyzers from CN for the BlackRock Project including its iron, titanium and vanadium production at its metallurgical processing plant to be located adjacent to the Port of Saguenay, Québec, in Canada. Cipher Neutron’s innovative products, such as its proprietary AEM Electrolyzers, have unique advantages over other Green Hydrogen production technologies and, more specifically, these are as follow:
- CN AEMs provide greater electrical efficiency versus its technology peers, leading to lower hydrogen costs.
- CN AEM Electrolysers are free of Platinum and Iridium materials, harmful PFAS (Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) chemicals and polluting metals, leading to lower costs, enhanced availability and shortened lead times and delivery schedules.
- CN’s AEM membranes have demonstrated longer life, leading to lower sustaining capital and operating costs.
- CN’s Green Hydrogen is provided at pressures of up to 30 bar, reducing the need for compressors and excess power required by compressors, further reducing the capital and operating costs.
The BlackRock Project’s leased industrial site at the Port of Saguenay provides an ideal location to deploy Cipher Neutron’s Green Hydrogen AEM Electrolysers. Strategic can utilize the Green Hydrogen in its Hydrogen-ready Tenova HYL Energiron direct reduction plant for the production of high purity, clean metallic iron products, a key component of Green Steel. Strategic has an established business footprint in Québec and CN’s supply of AEM Electrolysers for this multi-Megawatt capacity project is well-suited for Strategic, Cipher Neutron, the Province of Québec and North America.
Strategic has completed a bankable feasibility of the fully permitted BlackRock Project, which, along with it’s Environmental Certificates of Authorization from the Province of Québec, demonstrate significant achievements of advanced greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction with proven technologies. The work contemplated by CN and Strategic for the first phase of the collaboration will consider the possibility of further advancing the GHG reduction achievements of Strategic towards even lower emissions.
CN will provide the design for the initial implementation of approximately eighty-four (84) 250-Kilowatt AEM Green Hydrogen Electrolyzers to produce approximately ten (10) tons of Green Hydrogen gas per day to be utilized in the reduction of iron and potentially other purposes for the BlackRock Project.
If the initial project phase is implemented, the supply of AEM Green Hydrogen Electrolyzers could represent meaningful revenue to Cipher Neutron and, subject to the supply of available electrical energy and other factors, could eventually scale up to over two hundred (200) 250-Kilowatt Electrolyzers to produce up to thirty (30) tonnes of Green Hydrogen per day for the BlackRock Project.
Sean Cleary, CEO of Strategic Resources, stated, “Cipher Neutron’s AEM technology has significant game-changing potential and is an excellent fit with the developing hydrogen strategy of Strategic’s BlackRock Project. We look forward to incorporating the AEM electrolyser technology, such as that of Cipher Neutron, to foster a greener and more sustainable future in line with global reduction of GHG. Strategic Resources has a long history of fostering green and sustainable technology and we welcome the opportunity to be a part of the development of the growing Green Hydrogen Economy and support the transition to Green Steel for the Western World.”
Gurjant Randhawa, President and CEO of Cipher Neutron, stated, “Cipher Neutron welcomes this very significant alliance with Strategic Resources on its ongoing energy projects. Approximately seven percent (7%) of the total carbon dioxide produced in the world emanates from the iron and steel industries. We commend Strategic Resources for its leadership in Green Hydrogen adoption which can considerably change forever these highly intense GHG emissions sectors. We believe that carbon emissions and other harmful impacts on our environment can be reduced drastically in the Province of Québec and across the globe by deploying CN’s AEM Electrolyzers.”