April 23 (Reuters) - Industrial gas manufacturer Air

Products and Chemicals ( APD ) said on Tuesday that it plans to

build a network of hydrogen refueling stations across Canada.

The stations, stretching from Edmonton to Calgary in the

province of Alberta, will be equipped to serve heavy-duty

vehicles, such as commercial and municipal trucks and buses, as

well as light-duty hydrogen fuel cell cars.

The first of the permanent refueling stations is expected to

be onstream in 2025, the company said.

Air Products, which currently operates three hydrogen

production facilities in Alberta, and a 55-kilometer hydrogen

pipeline in the Alberta Industrial Heartland, said the hydrogen

infrastructure will help Western Canada's energy transition

goals.

It also operates a hydrogen production facility, a

30-kilometer pipeline network and a liquefaction facility in

Sarnia, Ontario.

Many countries are betting on hydrogen as they seek to

decarbonise their economies and find ways to absorb intermittent

renewable supplies into the power grid.