Viva Energy – with the help of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency – will open one of Australia’s first hydrogen refuelling stations dedicated to serving heavy vehicle fleets, as part of a planned ‘New Energies Service Station’ located in Geelong.
But while the measure is being touted as an effort to reduce transport emissions, the hydrogen refuelling station will, at least in part, be used in the transport of petrol from Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery to a network of Shell petrol stations.
Australia currently lacks large scale and publicly available hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, but Viva Energy’s $43.3 million project will involve the installation of a 2MW electrolyser, hydrogen compression, storage and dispensing equipment.
The station will have the capacity to refuel an eventual fleet of up to 15 hydrogen heavy vehicles. By pairing the deployment of new hydrogen-fuelled vehicles with simultaneous construction of the refuelling infrastructure, Viva said it would solve a ‘chicken-and-egg’ challenges faced by fleet operators considering a switch to hydrogen vehicles.
The project, supported by $22.8 million from ARENA, will also help fund the purcahse of new hydrogen heavy vehicles that will be operated by a number of project partners, including a group of four commercial vehicle operators that will utilise the station during its first year.
These partners include transport logistics firm Toll Group, which will buy and operate two hydrogen fuelled prime movers that will be used to transport petrol from the Viva Energy refinery to Shell Coles Express branded petrol stations.
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— Ketan Joshi (@KetanJ0) March 1, 2022
In a statement, Viva Energy said that it also “hopes to add traditional diesel refuelling on-site to allow drivers to witness [fuel cell electric vehicle] charging.”
Public transport operator ComfortDelGro will add two hydrogen-fuelled buses to its Geelong city commuter fleet. Waste management company Cleanaway will add two hydrogen-fuelled rubbish collection trucks, and Barwon Water will also add a hydrogen-fuelled truck for wastewater collection.
Viva had previously entered into a partnership agreement with Hyzon Motors for the potential future supply of hydrogen-fuelled commercial vehicles.
In addition to the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, the New Energies Service Station will host 150kW electric vehicle recharging facilities, forming part of Viva Energy’s efforts to diversify its petrol business into serving the emerging market for zero emissions vehicles.
While the market for zero emissions passenger vehicles is currently dominated by battery electric options, hydrogen is being considered for its potential as a zero emissions fuel for heavy transport requirements, such as trucks and buses.
Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt said the project would serve as a critical early demonstration of how commercial transport can be successfully transitioned to zero emissions alternatives.
“This project puts hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road to prove their value in day-to-day commercial operations while reducing the carbon footprint of the heavy vehicle transport we rely on every day,” Wyatt said.
The project will be located at Viva Energy’s refinery operations in Geelong, placing it close to an existing industrial precinct and a source of recycled water for use in the production of hydrogen.
Barwon Water chair Jo Plummer said that it had worked closely with Viva Energy to ensure the hydrogen electrolyser would be supplied with a sustainable source of water.
“The use of recycled water for the production of renewable hydrogen in the project is an important step in Barwon Water’s aims for the productive reuse of 100 per cent of the recycled water produced at our water reclamation plant,” Plummer said.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the project would support Australia’s first steps into heavy transport fuelled by renewable hydrogen.
“The experiences of Viva Energy and fleet vehicles using the renewable hydrogen produced onsite for refuelling will provide valuable insights into the operation of different types of hydrogen FCEV heavy vehicles,” Miller said.
The hydrogen refuelling station is expected to be operational by late 2023.
