The Victorian government has allocated $11.9 million toward the building of a permanent renewable hydrogen facility in Victoria, Australia, contingent upon the results of pilot testing by Yarra Valley Water.
After receiving financing from the State Government’s Energy Innovation Fund, Round 2, the utility will begin testing a locally produced hydrogen electrolyser at the Aurora Water Treatment Plant to evaluate the project’s practicality and performance.
Following a successful feasibility study, the utility will begin building a large-scale hydrogen facility with funding from the State Government.
To promote Australia’s domestic hydrogen market, Yarra Valley Water and Jacobs had previously collaborated to offer theoretical studies showing that hydrogen production could be co-located at wastewater treatment plants. The WSAA also suggests that the urban water sector play a co-creative role in Australia’s future use of renewable hydrogen energy.
Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG), one of Australia’s major gas infrastructure corporations, will work with the team to bring the project to fruition. The Victorian water sector has pledged to take the lead on climate change as part of the state’s water plan, Water for Victoria. Due to this forward-thinking agreement, Victoria’s water industry will be the first in Australia to pledge to achieve zero emissions by 2035.