Page 6 - AsiaElec Week 43 2020

AsiaElec COMMENTARY AsiaElec

Australian green hydrogen project

eyes industrial consumers

Australia’s hydrogen ambitions are another step closer to fruition after the country’s first
renewable hydrogen pilot project signed an industrial supply deal

AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA’S natural gas pipeline operators road deliveries to Whyalla from Victoria, saving
are preparing for a future in which domestic approximately 117,000 km in annual driving and
WHAT: demand for the fuel enters a steep decline, owing 122,000 kilograms per year of carbon emissions.
AGN’s new agreement to the country’s ongoing push towards net-zero BOC will transport the hydrogen to its Why-
with BOC paves the way emissions. alla Argon Purification Unit, where it will be
for green hydrogen sales Hydrogen has been hailed as a cheaper alter- used to make high-purity argon. The city is home
to industrial consumers native to the complete electrification of the coun- to a steelmaking industry, a key industrial con-
try’s energy mix by Australia’s peak gas industry sumers of hydrogen-based products.
WHY: bodies. They argue that switching from gas-fired BOC’s director of strategy and business devel-
The HyP SA hydrogen heating to the power network would double the opment, Vesna Olles, said: “The short delivery
plant will start up later demand for electricity, leading to soaring infra- routes for gas sourced from AGIG’s HyP SA will
this year and the deal structure costs. significantly reduce costs and open the hydro-
with BOC commercialises The group, which includes the likes of the gen market in SA. The reduction in transport
any excess output Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration emissions also makes this a great move towards
Association (APPEA) and Australian Pipelines our goal of delivering green hydrogen to South
WHAT NEXT: and Gas Association, released a report towards Australia.”
Pipeline operators are the end of September highlighting the “pivotal AGIG CEO Ben Wilson said HyP SA’s expan-
eager to demonstrate role gas and gas infrastructure” could play in a sion to supply industry had been part of the com-
hydrogen’s potential low-carbon energy future. “Gas Vision 2050: pany’s original plan for the facility. He said: “This
as calls for mass Delivering a Clean Energy Future” concluded initial partnership with BOC is a key enabler to
electrification of the that using hydrogen to reach net-zero emissions further potential expansion to SA and wider
energy mix grow would cost half as much as electrification. industrial markets. It also brings us a step closer
The group’s roadmap envisions the country to supplying hydrogen for vehicle refuelling in
transitioning to 100% hydrogen networks by South Australia.”
2050, with said transition expected to begin this AGN is set to finish final construction works
year with the first blending of green hydrogen in soon at the AUD11.4mn ($8.12mn) plant, fol-
residential gas. lowing the successful installation of a Siemens
Australian Gas Networks (AGN) is leading 1.25-MW proton exchange membrane (PEM)
that charge via its pilot Hydrogen Park South electrolyser.
Australia (HyP SA) project in Adelaide, with the HyP SA is likely just the first of an eventual
company announcing this week that the project wave of such projects as AGIG looks to establish
was on track to begin supplying around 700 gas blending operations in other states. The com-
nearby households with blended 5% renewable pany said it was in the detailed engineering and
gas before the end of the year. design phase for a hydrogen production plant in
At the same time, AGN also revealed that Queensland, with a target start-up date of 2022,
it had signed a new agreement with BOC that and that it also wanted to introduce hydrogen
will expand HyP SA’s customer base to include into Victoria’s gas networks.
industrial consumers. The company has also won backing from the
Western Australia government to assess how
Industrial supply hydrogen can be introduced into its Dampier
AGN, which is part of Australian Gas Infrastruc- to Bunbury gas pipeline. The study is part of
ture Group (AGIG), has agreed to install tube the WA government’s ongoing push to develop
trailer refilling infrastructure at the pilot project its own hydrogen industry first outlined in its
that will allow it to sell excess hydrogen to BOC. Renewable Hydrogen Strategy, which was pub-
The latter company will use hydrogen road tank- lished in July 2019.
ers to haul the gas to industrial customers in both
Adelaide and the regional city of Whyalla. Western agenda
AGN said establishing an Adelaide-based WA Minister for Regional Development Alan-
hydrogen supply chain would replace current nah MacTiernan said this week that the state

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