Air Liquide to develop green hydrogen plant for Melbourne transport hub

Industrial gases company Air Liquide Australia Solutions is to develop an electrolysis-based renewable hydrogen plant in the city of Melbourne, Victoria focused on mobility and industrial use cases, Australian science agency CSIRO said July 18.

The A$5.78 million ($3.95 million) Altona Renewable Hydrogen Plant will have initial capacity to produce 130 metric tonne/yr of renewable hydrogen, CSIRO said in a project update.

"This project would develop a renewables-based hydrogen production facility in the Melbourne metropolitan logistics and transportation hub of Altona," CSIRO said, without giving a time line.

Air Liquid has several renewable hydrogen projects in Europe and the US but this is its first in Australia, according to S&P Global's Hydrogen Production Assets database.

On June 23 the French firm announced a joint venture with Siemens Energy to manufacture PEM electrolyzers in Europe. Production would start in H2 2023, ramping up to 3 GW/yr by 2025.

S&P Global Commodity Insights assessed Victoria hydrogen produced via PEM electrolysis at $20.00/kg July 15, up 172% month on month.

Queensland hydrogen produced via PEM electrolysis was assessed at $24.00/kg July 15, up 47% month on month.

Viva refuelling

The project follows on from Viva Energy's recent order for a 2.5-MW containerized electrolyzer for a fast-fueling hydrogen refueling station at Geelong, Victoria, to be delivered by Nel Hydrogen of Norway.

It is also partnering with Air Liquide for provision of a "fast fill" hydrogen system designed to refuel at least 10 trucks or busses consecutively, delivering 300 kg of hydrogen in under two hours, it said.

"Together, this equipment will provide Viva Energy with the capacity to generate and deliver more than 1,000 kilograms of green hydrogen per day, powering a fleet of at least 15 hydrogen fuel cell heavy vehicles," it said.

Viva Energy's hydrogen mobility project has received A$22.8 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and A$1 million from Victoria's Renewable Hydrogen Commercialization Pathways Fund.

"These are critical first steps in Viva Energy's vision to establish Australia's most ambitious hydrogen mobility project, which is expected to be the catalyst for a network of hydrogen refueling stations reaching from Geelong and Melbourne to Sydney and Brisbane," it said.

Viva Energy's Geelong Refinery currently generates about 70 metric tonnes of hydrogen per day as part of its conventional oil refining process.