Renewable hydrogen produced at Hydrogen Park South Australia (HyP SA) in Adelaide will be delivered to Whyalla in a South Australian-first project showcasing the possibilities of locally produced hydrogen.
This week a custom tube trailer will collect shipments of up to 370kg of the renewable gas from HyP SA’s plant at Tonsley Innovation District as part of a partnership between Australian Gas Networks—part of Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG)—and BOC, a Linde company.
The hydrogen will be used in the production of high-purity argon supplied to the Whyalla steelworks and local industry.
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It is the beginning of what is expected to be weekly deliveries to the Steel City and will position HyP SA as a major wholesale supplier of hydrogen in Australia.
The project is a glimpse into the future of possibilities of South Australian-produced hydrogen, when the Malinauskas Labor Government delivers its Hydrogen Jobs Plan.
The new Adelaide-based hydrogen supply chain will replace current deliveries to BOC’s South Australian customers from Victoria, eliminating the costs associated with 117,000km in annual transport and saving approximately 122,000kg of carbon emissions per year.
HyP SA can produce approximately 175 tonnes of hydrogen per annum, equal to the total gas use of around 1,500 South Australian homes, or tens of thousands of homes on a blended gas basis.
Since May 2021, HyP SA has supplied up to 5% blended renewable gas to more than 700 homes in Mitchell Park, which has strongly embraced its status as the recipients of Australia’s first renewable blended gas. By the end of this year, it will supply more than 3,000 homes in the surrounding suburbs.
AGIG aims to deliver at least 10% renewable gas across its distribution networks by 2030 and has set itself an ambitious target of 100% renewable gas conversion by 2040, and by no later than 2050.
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HyP SA at Tonsley was the first of several renewable hydrogen projects AGIG is developing around Australia. Pending approvals, Hydrogen Park Murray Valley in Victoria will be a 10-megawatt facility delivering up to a 10% (by volume) renewable gas blend to more than 40,000 homes and businesses in Albury and Wodonga in 2024. Additionally, AGIG has announced plans for a 10% blended gas project in Gladstone, Queensland.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said, “This is an exciting glimpse into the future possibilities of renewable hydrogen produced right here in South Australia. Renewable hydrogen is a key part of our clean energy future, and this exciting project is helping businesses push the frontiers of renewable hydrogen. The real-life application of this facility reinforces widening community recognition of hydrogen’s benefits.”
