Western Australia has opened its first renewable hydrogen refuelling station, which can fill up hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles within five minutes.
The station, opened by natural gas company, ATCO, and Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), will be used to refuel both businesses’ fleets of Toyota Mirai, as well as third parties such as WA police.
The station will use renewable hydrogen produced onsite in Jandakot at ATCO’s Clean Energy Innovation Hub from renewable electricity through electrolysis.
Western Australia has also blended renewable hydrogen into the natural gas network for the first time, meaning it has reached all four 2022 targets set out as part of its Renewable Hydrogen Strategy.
ATCO began blending a small percentage of renewable hydrogen into a portion of the natural gas distribution network within the City of Cockburn on 5 December.
The project is one of the largest of its kinds in Australia, and is expected to reach more than 2,700 businesses and households.
In total, the WA Government has committed $162.5 million to support the development of the renewable hydrogen industry in the state following the release of the Renewable Hydrogen Strategy in 2019.
The strategy set out four clear targets for completion in 2022 – a refuelling facility available in WA, distribution of hydrogen into the gas network, use of hydrogen in a remote location, and approval of an export project.
WA Premier, Mark McGowan, said achieving the milestone was great news for the state.
“Hydrogen is the fuel of the future, and my Government is positioning Western Australia at the front of the hydrogen race, driving local jobs and helping to diversify the economy,” he said.
“More and more, we are seeing local projects take renewable hydrogen as a clean energy source from theory to reality.”
According to Hydrogen Industry Minister, Alannah MacTiernan, the Government’s goals will now change as it fast tracks its capacity to become a hydrogen world player.
“Our 2022 goals were to help kickstart a renewable hydrogen industry in WA – and build important skills and knowledge for future growth,” she said.
“The commissioning of ATCO’s hydrogen blending facility has helped us achieve the goal of distributing renewable hydrogen in the WA gas network by 2022.
“Through the ATCO Hydrogen Refuelling Station, we have met our goal of having an operational renewable hydrogen refuelling station in WA by 2022.”
The announcement came ahead of the Australian Hydrogen Conference on 6-7 December, which brings together the sector’s energy leaders to help shape the future of the rapidly expanding industry.