Hydrogen hub opens in Victoria

A hydrogen refuelling hub, jointly funded by the federal and Victorian governments, is now open in Corio, Geelong.

The $61.2 million project, operated by Viva Energy New Energies, has been described as the ‘largest hydrogen refueling project and the first public service station to offer renewable hydrogen to commercial trucks and transport’.

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$34 million was invested through the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), while $1 million came through the Victorian government’s Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.

“We are supporting our emerging renewable hydrogen sector to expand and help industries like transport reduce their emissions – helping Victoria achieve net-zero emissions by 2045,” says Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio.

The hub is located on the corner of the Princes Highway and Station Street, and features a 2.5 megawatt onsite electrolyser, which converts recycled water from Barwon Water and renewable electricity, into renewable hydrogen.

It has capacity to accommodate five buses and trucks refueling every day, with the capability to ramp up to 12 to 15 vehicles over the next two years. The station is designed to refuel 10 trucks or buses consecutively in under two hours, with a refueling time of around 15 minutes for the average fill. Depending on the vehicle type and load the average fill will provide a range of between 200-450 kilometres.

“This is a fantastic achievement from our governments – bringing renewable hydrogen to commercial transport for the local community in Geelong,” says Member for Lara Ella George.

This is the first hydrogen project in Australia with both supply and demand on one site, with the production of hydrogen and the refueling of vehicles. The station also features charging options for electric vehicles.

As part of the project, Viva Energy will also deploy 15 hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles that will be on Victorian roads within two years and servicing a range of industries.