How Haskel is supporting a hydrogen economy in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand are both keen to harness the potential of hydrogen to provide a clean alternative to traditional transport fuels. The latter published a green paper entitled ‘A vision for hydrogen in New Zealand’ in September 2019, setting out its plan to use renewable energy to produce green hydrogen and move heavy vehicles away from fossil fuels. Two months later, its neighbour announced ‘Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy’, signalling its intent to use hydrogen for long-distance heavy-duty transport and develop associated refuelling infrastructure.

As a supplier of global refuelling infrastructure for hydrogen mobility, Haskel Hydrogen Systems has been supporting both countries as they transition to a hydrogen economy.

Creating the first hydrogen refuelling station in Western Australia

For example, Haskel has signed an agreement to supply transportation and infrastructure specialist ATCO and Fortescue Metals Group with fully packaged refuelling systems for their H2 Refueller project, which is backed by A$1m ($713,400) of investment from the Western Australian government.

The project will design and construct the first hydrogen refuelling station in Western Australia, which will support ATCO’s and Fortescue’s fleet of hydrogen fuel cell-powered Toyota Mirais, as well as other hydrogen-powered passenger vehicles, such as the Hyundai Nexo. Situated at ATCO’s depot in Jandakot, the station will deliver green hydrogen supplied by ATCO’s Clean Energy Innovation Hub. The hub has already been generating green hydrogen for more than a year, and this project will see that hydrogen used for transport applications.

“When we first met with the team at Haskel,” explained Kapz Malhotra, General Manager Business Development ATCO Gas Division, “they quickly understood the scope of what ATCO and Fortescue were looking to achieve in the long term and offered the best product technically.

“Haskel’s innovative products, matched with the hydrogen expertise at ATCO and Fortescue, will help us realise our next goal of utilising green hydrogen to expedite the transition to net-zero emissions globally through supporting the next generation of zero-emission transport.”

Supporting heavy vehicle refuelling in New South Wales

But Haskel is not only concerned with passenger vehicles. In early 2022, it will supply a full refuelling system and dispenser for Australia’s first commercial, hydrogen-powered, heavy vehicle refuelling station at Coregas’ hydrogen production facility at Port Kembla, New South Wales.

The Australian transport sector is under increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, while managing a fuel supply chain that relies heavily on foreign imports. Fuel and refuelling infrastructure are seen as key enablers for the adoption of hydrogen as a zero-emission vehicle fuel alternative. Hydrogen fuel cell-powered heavy vehicles deliver an immediate 50% carbon emission reduction compared to the diesel trucks currently in use at Port Kembla, and future use of biomethane or another source of renewable hydrogen will further reduce these emissions to zero.

Coregas’ hydrogen refuelling station at Port Kembla, supported by the New South Wales Government and part of the Port Kembla Hydrogen Hub, will initiate a transformation of the region’s environmental transport footprint by enabling the deployment of a fleet of hydrogen-powered prime mover vehicles in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region, which is set to be an epicentre of the emerging hydrogen sector.

Currently, around 7,000 trucks travel between the region and Sydney each day. Haskel’s refuelling system will take hydrogen from the Coregas plant, compress it to 350 bar and deliver it to a dispenser at the vehicle fuelling station 50 metres away. Among the first vehicles to use the facility will be two Hyzon Hymax-450 prime movers recently purchased by Coregas for its own distribution needs.

Hyzon Motors and Coregas are actively pursuing the opportunity to scale up hydrogen-powered trucking and Haskel’s refuelling station supports this transition in a flexible and efficient way. Both organisations are engaging with companies operating in and around the Port Kembla site on the opportunity to transition to hydrogen and decarbonise heavy vehicle fleets.

Coregas’s Executive General Manager, Alan Watkins, said of the project, “Coregas is actively supporting the development of Australia’s hydrogen economy and using hydrogen in the decarbonisation of the transport sector is a key priority for us. We believe the shorter refuelling times, longer range, and higher payloads of hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles, compared to equivalent battery electric vehicles, means they will have a crucial role to play in making Australia’s transport sector sustainable.

“We are proud to be leading by example by operating our own Hyzon hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles from next year and expect strong interest from other organisations in accessing our hydrogen refuelling station in Port Kembla when it comes online.”

Stephen Learney, Vice-President and General Manager of Haskel, said, “Haskel is proud to be working with Coregas to support the adoption of hydrogen technology in Australia’s transport sector. We have worked with Coregas for many years through our local representation in Australia, and are pleased to be able to continue our partnership to collaborate on this truly ground-breaking project.”

Partnering with New Zealand’s first supplier of green hydrogen

Meanwhile, Haskel has also been supporting the development of emission-free transport in New Zealand by partnering with Hiringa Refuelling to supply hydrogen refuelling stations across the country. The collaboration between Haskel and Hiringa is a key component in New Zealand’s initiatives for zero-emission transport.

Hiringa’s Chief Technology Officer, Dan Kahn, commented, “We’ve been working with Haskel over the past two years to jointly develop a high-capacity, network-focused design to meet the demands of the heavy transport industry in New Zealand.”

Hiringa has issued orders for the first four high-capacity refuelling stations for its nationwide green hydrogen network, to be delivered and commissioned in 2022.Stephen Learney commented, “New Zealand is starting to scale up its hydrogen mobility infrastructure, and we are proud to be working with Hiringa in delivering this ambitious roadmap.”

As the first company in New Zealand dedicated to the supply of green hydrogen, Hiringa has been developing a hydrogen production and refuelling network to support large-scale refuelling for heavy-duty vehicles with investor partners and funding support from the New Zealand government. Haskel’s hydrogen compression system provides high-capacity fuelling for buses and trucks up to 350 bar working pressure.

Phase 1 of the development includes four refuelling stations, selected to provide coverage for the major heavy freight routes in the North Island. The network is planned to expand into the South Island through 2023, providing full coverage of all New Zealand’s heavy freight routes. As demand for zero-emission transport grows, over 24 Hiringa high-capacity refuelling stations are expected to come online across New Zealand in the next four to five years.

Haskel will continue to partner with innovative companies in Australia and New Zealand to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen-powered transport in the region. By supporting the implementation of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in both countries, Haskel can help to create sustainable hydrogen economies which create jobs and make zero-emission transportation a reality.

By Nick Power, Hydrogen Business Development Manager – EMEA, Haskel Hydrogen Systems Group

This article was originally written as an exclusive for H2 View.

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