Charbone Hydrogen Corporation (TSX-V:CH, OTCQB:CHHYF) chief operations officer Daniel Charette joined Proactive to discuss the company’s new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ABB.
Charette explained that the five-year MOU includes up to 15 modular hydrogen production facilities, modeled after Charbone’s flagship project in Sorel-Tracy.
Proactive: Welcome back inside our Proactive newsroom. Joining me now is Daniel Charette, chief operations officer for Charbone Hydrogen. Daniel, it's great to see you again. How are you?
Daniel Charette: I'm great. Thank you. Great to see you again.
Exciting news from the company today—signing this memorandum of understanding with ABB to scale hydrogen across North America. Tell me a little bit about this agreement.
We've been quite busy over the last four months discussing how ABB can support our deployment with modular substation solutions across North America. ABB has been highly receptive, not only for the substations but also for automation within our facilities. They’re also providing operator-extended workstations so we can control all our projects remotely. This is a great advance for Charbone and a great partnership.
This agreement covers up to 15 projects over the next five years. That’s quite significant.
Correct. ABB wanted to be part of this project long-term. Charbone is looking to replicate our flagship project in Sorel-Tracy across multiple sites. That project serves as a model for our modular and scalable approach. The missing piece was the connection between our energy infrastructure and local utilities, and ABB is well-established with utility providers across North America. It’s a great partner to have.
A key aspect of this is standardizing construction and engineering as these projects roll out. ABB plays a big role in that, right?
Exactly. Charbone’s focus for the last five years has been on mobilizing quickly, allowing us to scale efficiently. Our phased approach—phase one, phase two, and beyond—aligns with market growth. This agreement enables us to build these facilities efficiently as demand increases.
You’re still on track to connect with Hydro-Quebec in Q2 2025, followed by expansion into Detroit?
Correct. All the electrical poles and wires are in place. Hydro-Quebec has received all necessary permits to increase the capacity of its power lines to meet Charbone’s needs. This process will be completed in the coming weeks. All the required components are ready for shipment. Once the snow melts, we’ll begin construction on-site.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and style