Hydrogen tech on its way to Geelong

VIVA ENERGY has signed deals with suppliers for its Geelong hydrogen refueling hub which is expected to come online late next year.

A containerised electrolyser and hydrogen dispensing system are on its way to Geelong as part of the refinery’s expansion of its hydrogen capabilities.

Viva says the combined equipment would allow it to generate and deliver more than 1,000 kilograms of green hydrogen per day to power a fleet of 15 heavy vehicles equipped with hydrogen fuel cell technology.

The 2.5-megawatt electrolyser would use renewable electricity to split molecules of water supplied from Barwon Water’s nearby Northern Water Plant.

A “fast-fill” hydrogen refuelling system could dispense 300kg of the fuel in under two hours and provide a similar experience to a traditional service station.

Both technologies will be the largest of their type in Australia when they reach Geelong, and Viva expects its new gear to kick-start a national push towards greater hydrogen uptake for industrial transport.

“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 refuelling stations reaching from Geelong and Melbourne to Sydney and Brisbane,” Viva stated.

The eventual hydrogen refuelling station will be the first publicly accessible site in Australia.

Petrol tankers, Geelong hydrogen buses, garbage trucks and a Barwon Water organic waste recycling transporter will be the first vehicles to get access to the developing site from next year.

Viva’s New Energies Service Station (NESS), which it announced in March, would also include electric vehicle recharging.

The NESS is part of Viva’s wider Geelong Energy Hub project, which would also include a floating gas terminal, solar energy farm and development of low-sulphur gasoline.