Renewable Hydrogen Production and Refuelling Project
Renewable Hydrogen Production and Refuelling Project
This project will supply renewable hydrogen to BOC’s existing customer base in Queensland as well as supplying a hydrogen refuelling station hosted at a commercial petrol station in Brisbane. Phase 1 of this mobility trial is for the refuelling of QFleet vehicles with further vehicles and 350-bar trucks and buses to be added in Phase 2.
| Main proponents:
BOC Limited |
Main end-use classification:
Hydrogen industrial gas and mobility |
Status:
Under construction – facilities are expected to be operational in 2021 |
Estimated cost:
AUD$4.17 million |
| Other involvement:
|
Production details:
Hydrogen production – Up to 2,400 kilograms per month capacity |
Location:
Queensland, Australia |
Announced funding:
AUD$950,000 – Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) AUD$3.2 million – BOC |
Project description
The purpose of the project is to demonstrate renewable hydrogen production and support the commercialisation of hydrogen for vehicle transport.
Construction on the project was delayed as a result of COVID-19 and the facilities are now anticipated to be operational in the third quarter of 2021.
BOC is a member of Linde plc, a large global supplier of industrial gases and engineering equipment.
BOC presently produces hydrogen at its Altona facility in Melbourne, Victoria, by means of steam methane reforming (SMR) using natural gas as feedstock into the process. With the closure in 2015 of the BP oil refinery (102,000 barrels-per-day capacity) at Bulwer Island in Brisbane, Queensland, BOC has been transporting hydrogen from Altona to Bulwer Island in high-pressure road tube trailers to supply its Queensland industrial gas customers. The transport of the hydrogen from Victoria to Queensland results in approximately 90,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions.
To reduce road transport costs and risks and CO2 emissions, BOC is constructing renewable hydrogen production facilities at Bulwer Island.
BOC is installing a 220 kilowatt (kW) Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser supplied by UK-based company ITM Power. The electrolyser would be powered by a 100kW solar array. The electrolyser will have capacity to produce up to 2,400 kilograms (kg) of hydrogen per month.
The produced hydrogen will supply BOC’s existing customer base in Queensland as well as providing up to 50kg of hydrogen per day for a hydrogen refuelling station hosted at a commercial petrol station in Brisbane.
The Queensland Government has indicated it will trial five hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (HFCEV) in its fleet once the station is operational. ITM Power, BOC and potentially other organisations would also purchase/lease Hyundai’s HFCEV’s.
Milestones
August 2019: BOC announces the commencement of a renewable hydrogen project at its Bulwer Island location in Brisbane, Queensland.
August 2019: ARENA announces AUD$950,000 in funding to BOC for a renewable hydrogen production and refuelling project in Queensland.
Updated: July 2021