Viva Energy has taken a giant step into the future by announcing plans to establish a hydrogen fueling station in Geelong, which will be linked to similar stations in Sydney and Brisbane.
From late next year, the “New Energies Service Station” in Geelong will offer EV charging as well as public refueling of hydrogen-fueled vehicles and buses.
The station’s launch will coincide with the first deployment of FCEV fleets in Australia operating and refueling outside a business property, near the junction of Station Street and the Princes Highway at the entrance to Geelong Refinery.
The hydrogen for the Geelong station will come from Viva’s environmentally friendly manufacturing plant, the $43.3 million Geelong Energy Hub, which contains a two-megawatt electrolyzer that uses recycled water from Barwon Water’s Northern Water Plant to produce green hydrogen.
The initiative would allow for the commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) “across a cross-section of businesses that can’t be simply decarbonized,” according to Viva in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
Road freight, public transportation, municipal waste management, water treatment, and general fleet are among them, according to the report.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has awarded the project a $22.8 million grant as part of its Advancing Renewables Program. It brings together a varied group of industrial partners who will operate a fleet of 15 hydrogen-powered heavy trucks that will be refueled at the station.
The Victorian government also made a $1 million contribution to the project under the Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.
The initiative “drives hydrogen demand in conjunction with infrastructure development to address the ‘chicken-and-egg’ dilemma that has traditionally been a fundamental impediment for the sector,” according to Viva.
“The initiative exemplifies the value of business and government working together to reduce carbon emissions in the commercial road transport sector,” the firm stated.
The following foundation partners are deploying cars in the project’s first year:
Toll Group — two hydrogen-powered prime movers are being used to transport liquid fuels from Viva Energy’s Geelong Refinery to the Shell Coles Express service station network.
Two hydrogen-powered buses will be used on Geelong city commuter bus routes, according to ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC).
Cleanaway is a pair of hydrogen-powered waste management vehicles that will be used to collect municipal rubbish in the Greater Geelong area.
Barwon Water is a hydrogen-powered prime mover that collects and recycles organic waste.
Some vehicles will be provided by Hyzon Motors of Europe and Australia, according to Viva, while CDC’s two FCEV buses will be constructed and delivered by Aluminium Revolutionary Chassis Company of Australia (ARCC).
“Viva Energy is in talks with a number of additional possible partners and hydrogen car manufacturers about purchasing and delivering the remaining vehicles,” the company added.
Viva Energy CEO and MD Scott Wyatt expressed his joy at the opportunity to work with long-term existing customers to show the critical role that hydrogen will play in Australia’s transportation future.
“Our current partners have joined us on this adventure, and we share their enthusiasm for what the future of zero-emissions transportation holds,” Mr. Wyatt added.
“Through this initiative, hydrogen-powered cars will be put on the road to demonstrate their worth in day-to-day commercial operations while lowering the carbon footprint of the heavy truck transportation we rely on every day.”
Mr. Wyatt said the Geelong station will start as a back-to-base model, but Viva Energy expects it will be the first of a network of hydrogen-refueling stations positioned along critical transport routes connecting Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane across Australia’s east coast.
The initiative aligns with Viva Energy’s newly declared sustainability objective of achieving net-zero carbon emissions across the company by 2050, as well as its goal of assisting customers in meeting their own sustainability goals as the globe transitions to a new energy future.
“Toll Group is proud to take a leadership position in the freight and logistics industry in exploring the commercial viability of hydrogen-fueled vehicles as we demonstrate the value of alternative fuels to the industry and work towards reducing our carbon footprint,” said Thomas Knudsen, Managing Director of Toll Group.
“We appreciate both the Federal and Victorian governments’ financial assistance for the New Energies Service Station project.” This initiative is a critical component of Toll Group’s long-term sustainability plan.”
Nicholas Yap, CEO of ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC), said the company has already deployed hydrogen buses in London and is thrilled to work with Viva Energy on CDC’s first hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric buses in Australia.
Mr. Yap stated, “At CDC, we have continually proved our commitment to decreasing emissions in transportation by developing Australia’s first hybrid bus technology that offers zone-based zero emissions.”
“We see significant potential for hydrogen, as well as an ecosystem of Australian-based companies working together to provide Australians a cleaner future.”
“It’s also fantastic news for our Geelong customers, who will get to experience this cutting-edge technology on their everyday journey.”
Mark Schubert, CEO, and MD of Cleanaway, stated that lowering the environmental effects and carbon footprint remains a major objective in the waste management sector.
“These hydrogen cars will not only help us decarbonize, but they will also help our customers and the municipalities we serve meet their carbon reduction objectives,” he added.
“Investing in new and emerging technologies is critical for driving innovation and achieving a shared sustainable future.”
Jo Plummer, Barwon Water Chair, said the relationship with Viva Energy and the Geelong refinery has been especially strong since the establishment of the industry-leading Northern Water Plant in 2013, which recycles domestic and industrial wastewater from Northern Geelong to offset potable water use at the refinery.
“The project’s utilization of recycled water for the creation of renewable hydrogen is a critical step toward Barwon Water’s goal of using 100% of the recycled water generated at our water reclamation facility for profitable reuse,” Ms. Plummer said.
“Funding for this vehicle is also an important step toward our objective of net-zero emissions.” Barwon Water is decarbonizing its fleet of maintenance and service trucks in addition to using renewable energy.
“We are excited to assist create Geelong’s first-ever New Energies Service Station, as well as take a big step in greening our maintenance vehicle fleet as part of our Strategy 2030, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030,” says the company.
Meanwhile, the Suiso Frontier, the world’s first liquid hydrogen carrier, arrived in Victoria last month to celebrate the success of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) Pilot Project.
The first cargo allows for the safe transit of significant amounts of liquid hydrogen from Australia to Japan.
Wesfarmers-owned Coregas, Australia’s only industrial gas supplier, has been involved in the project since the beginning.
The vessel liquefies hydrogen at -253 degrees Celsius, reducing its gaseous volume to 1/800th at low pressure, making it safer and more efficient to transport over long distances, particularly by sea, according to Coregas.
