ARENA chips in $23 million for Viva Energy’s heavy-vehicle hydrogen servo
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will contribute $22.8 million to the cost of developing Australia’s first public hydrogen refuelling station in Geelong, Victoria.
The $51.4m Viva Energy project will develop, build and operate a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) hydrogen refuelling station opposite Viva’s existing petroleum refinery to support the uptake of FCEVs in heavy vehicle fleets.
Dubbed the ‘New Energies Service Station’, the facility will be built specifically to cater for and nurture the steadily increasing number of heavy fleet FCEVs taking to Australian roads.
It will feature a 2mW electrolyser along with hydrogen compression, storage and dispensing infrastructure, as well as 150kW electric vehicle charging facilities.
Part of the ARENA funding will also be used to subsidise the purchase of another 15 heavy FCEVs by the Toll Group, ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia, Cleanaway and Barwon Water for their respective fleets of buses, prime movers and wastewater and municipal waste collection vehicles.
“This funding from ARENA has opened the door for Viva Energy to work with long-term customers to demonstrate the important role that hydrogen will play in the future of transportation in Australia,” said Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt.
“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.”
It is hoped the FCEV servo will be up and running by the end of 2023. In time, Viva Energy hopes to add traditional diesel refuelling on-site to allow drivers to witness FCEV charging.
ARENA says the project aims to drive demand for hydrogen in parallel with infrastructure development to overcome the chicken-and-egg challenge that has been a key hurdle for the sector.
“By demonstrating the potential of FCEVs to complement (and eventually replace) incumbent diesel prime movers, waste trucks and buses in existing back-to-base transport applications, the project will reduce the carbon footprint of the heavy vehicle transport we rely on every day,” said ARENA.
“The project aims to drive demand for hydrogen in transport applications and support Australia’s vision to become a leading hydrogen producer.
“The project has the potential to catalyse future hydrogen refuelling sites and FCEV heavy vehicle deployment by generating data on hydrogen refuelling in commercial quantities and on FCEV performance.
“The project will also provide learnings on the regulatory and approvals pathway for the development of a publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling station. [It] will provide an environment for everyday drivers and future users to see and experience a range of fuel solutions side by side.”
CEO Daren Miller said the project would be a “key opportunity for early uptake of commercially viable hydrogen and a service station model that could be replicated across Australia as the price of electrolyser technology drops.”
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