Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) subsidiary Australian Gas Networks (AGN) today (26th Oct) confirmed Hydrogen Park South Australia (HyP SA) is in the final commissioning stages and has signed a new supply deal with BOC.
Installation of the electrolyser has been completed, AGN said, with final construction works due to be finished shortly.
AGN said the plant is now undergoing commissioning before commencing supply of blended renewable hydrogen and natural gas into an adjoining suburban network near the Tonsley Innovation District later this year.
Excess renewable hydrogen from HyP SA will be supplied by BOC to industrial customers, positioning the facility as a major wholesale supplier of renewable hydrogen in Australia.
BOC said it will install a compressor to take the hydrogen produced using renewable electricity at HyP SA and transport it via tube trailers to industrial customers across South Australia and Western Australia.
Hydrogen tube trailers are generally semi-trailers with hydrogen tanks that vary in length from small tubes to very large size tanks – enabling hydrogen to be road-haulled from a supply site to any destination.
By January 2021, this will completely replace the need to transport hydrogen from BOC’s Altona facility in Victoria, saving 122,000kg of carbon emissions per year.
“South Australia will now have a local supply of green hydrogen readily available for energy projects, storage, mobility and more,” said Vesna Olles, BOC’s Director of Strategy and Business Development.
“The short delivery routes for gas sourced from AGIG’s Hydrogen Park South Australia will significantly reduce costs and open the hydrogen market in South Australia.”
“The reduction in transport emissions also makes this a great move towards our goal of delivering green hydrogen to South Australia.”
AGIG’s CEO Ben Wilson said the partnership with BOC is a step closer to supplying hydrogen for vehicle refuelling in South Australia.
“Tube trailers are a well-established form of hydrogen transport. This new renewable hydrogen production source at HyP SA demonstrates the wider potential for this carbon-free gas and its ability to integrate into existing and future energy networks,” Wilson said.
Installation of the tube trailer infrastructure is expected to be completed by January 2021, with first commercial deliveries to Whyalla commencing shortly afterwards.
Commenting on today’s announcement, SA’s Minister for Energy and Mining, Dan van Holst Pellekaan, said, ““This commercial agreement between AGIG and BOC marks an important step towards unlocking hydrogen mobility in South Australia by onsite compression and transport of hydrogen.”
