World’s largest hydrogen export facility underway

Work is underway on a hydrogen export pilot project facility in Victoria, Australia and it’s aiming to be the largest of its kind in the world.

Latrobe Valley brown coal will be turned into hydrogen gas as part of the world-first pilot.

The hydrogen gas will then be transported to Port of Hastings where it will be liquified and shipped to Japan for use in fuel cell vehicles and power generation.

The government-backed project also aims to boost local industry knowledge and expertise in the production and use of hydrogen, while also boosting jobs.

It has the potential to put Victoria at the forefront of the fast-growing hydrogen industry, which is expected to be worth $2.5 trillion globally by 2050.

The pilot is expected to create 400 jobs in the Latrobe Valley and Hastings regions with the potential for thousands more if the project proceeds to the commercial phase.

The pilot project is also being developed by a consortium of Japan’s top energy and infrastructure companies, including Kawasaki Heavy Industries, J-Power, Iwatani Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation and Marubeni Corporation.

The pilot will be required to offset all the minimal greenhouse gases produced. Successful carbon capture and storage is a necessary condition for the program to progress to full commercial scale.

“We are proud to back this world-first first project which will put Victoria at the forefront of the global hydrogen industry,” economic development minister Tim Pallas says

“The Andrews Labor Government is growing jobs and industry in the Latrobe Valley and working with our partners in Japan as we transition to a low carbon energy future,” he says.

J-Power chairman Masayoshi Kitamura says work is now underway in what will be “a pivotal world-first initiative aimed to safely produce and transport clean hydrogen from Victoria’s Latrobe Valley to Japan”.