Australia: Viva Energy to develop a hydrogen refueling network
The company has announced that it will open a series of publicly accessible forecourts across Geelong, Sydney and Brisbane.
Viva Energy has announced the launch of its hydrogen mobility project across Australia that will see the development of new stations. The first site will be built in Geelong and is expected to be the catalyst for a network of hydrogen stations from Geelong to Sydney and onto Brisbane.
The service station, expected to start operations in late 2023, will be Australia’s first publicly accessible commercial hydrogen station. It will also offer electric vehicle recharging alongside green hydrogen refueling, bringing together the zero emission technologies that will support Australia’s energy transition.
“Our existing partners have come on this journey with us and we share their excitement about what it means for the future of zero-emissions transport. 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,” said Scott Wyatt, CEO and Managing Director of Viva Energy.
The $43.3 million project will incorporate a 2-megawatt electrolyser for the generation of green hydrogen using recycled water from Barwon Water’s Northern Water Plant and is designed to facilitate the commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in a cross-section of industries that can’t be easily decarbonised. These include road freight, public transport, municipal waste management, water treatment and general fleet.
The project received a $22.8 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA's Advancing Renewables Program and brings together a series of diverse industry partners operating an initial fleet of 15 hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles that will be refuelled at the station. The Victorian Government also contributed $1 million to the project via the Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.
