Buses, trucks and cars powered by green hydrogen could be rolling along the roads of NSW as soon as next year following completion of a deal between energy infrastructure company Jemena and gas supply company Coregas.
Jemena will supply hydrogen from its Western Sydney electrolyser for use by transport and industrial customers from early 2022, the first time the NSW transport industry will have access to hydrogen made using renewable energy.
The $15 million demonstration project, co-funded by Jemena and the Australia Renewable Energy Agency, will feature a 500kW electrolyser capable of producing enough hydrogen to power about 250 homes, Jemena claims.
Hydrogen is used to power fuel cell buses and cars in some countries, including 500 vehicles used to transport competitors and staff at the Tokyo Olympics and hydrogen fuel cell buses in London.
Hydrogen gas from the Western Sydney Green Gas Project will also be blended and stored in Jemena’s gas distribution network to supply homes and businesses.
Jemena general manager for renewable gas Gabrielle Sycamore said the agreement with Coregas is a stepping stone in a much larger transition of the transport sector to clean fuels.
“Green hydrogen has the immediate potential to become a viable zero-emission alternative to many petroleum-based fossil fuels currently used by industries such as transport and remote power generation,” Sycamore said.
“Hydrogen fuel cells are particularly well suited to long-distance heavy haulage trucking requirements based on their comparatively light weight and fast refuelling times, which can be just a matter of minutes.”
Coregas will apply its expertise in hydrogen distribution, compression and storage.
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