After four years in the planning and building, the $61 million Viva Energy Hub was officially opened in July, bringing Australia, if not the world, its first service station to offer both diesel and hydrogen heavy vehicle refuelling side by side.
Since 2018, Project Co-ordinator Sandra Lau, has looked at alternative fuels and new energies that were non-hydrocarbon based for the business to understand how it might play a bigger role in these future markets.
“When we looked at the annual transport emissions within Australia, while there was a lot of focus on the light vehicle sector, our business needed to decarbonise across all sectors,” she says.
“We supply long haul transport, aviation and agriculture and here the battery electric solution looked less viable.”
The decision was subsequently made to pursue a range of new technologies for its customers.
Hydrogen being an energy source Viva Energy was strongly placed to deliver safely, reliably and in a commercially viable manner, it was soon considered a prominent area that played to the business’ natural strengths.
The hydrogen hub project was conceived in 2021 as part of this multi-pronged foray into zero and low emissions fuels and products. Embarking on such an ambitious project, of course, comes with challenges.
The crucial initial development period was mired in supply chain disruptions heavily impacted by COVID.
Most of the equipment orders that were placed mid 2022, were caught up in a number of worldwide material shortages and shipping delays recalls Sandra.
“As we were a first of a kind project in Australia, and with no solutions to our specification tried and tested in the Australian market, we had a number of compliance and engineering challenges to resolve throughout the design process to ensure a fit-for-purpose installation,” says Sandra.
“Vehicle risk in knowing for sure that we would have offtake to justify an infrastructure investment, was always the highest risk element to the project.”
Understanding which vehicle OEMs were coming to Australia, by when, what model vehicle and at what price was all up in the air in 2021 when Viva began to design the project.
There were, to say nothing of, several other roadblocks for Sandra and her team to encounter. Australian standard compliance of the hydrogen equipment, for example, was a major challenge.
“We are fortunate to have inhouse strength of engineering and technical design to have been able to work through this,” says Sandra.
“In addition, we were able to leverage our existing relationships with regulators and external stakeholders to find ways forward that was suitable for all parties.”
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle supply was a continuously moving situation.
With the market being in its embryonic stages, there was much uncertainty surrounding the type of vehicles that were available, the timeframe to be Australian Design rules (ADR) ready for roadworthy compliance, which vendors would be able to deliver on time and who was coming to the market and when.
This would clearly impact the success of the infrastructure being invested in, as well as whether it would actually be built or not.
There was, however, among the many obstacles and intense planning, a tipping point in which it became apparent the project was transitioning from concept to boots on the ground.
“Excitingly, it was when we received confirmation of grant funding from ARENA that we knew it was becoming a real, financed project that would involve pouring concrete,” explains Sandra.
The project was eventually funded by the Australian Government’s $34 million investment through Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and a $1 million investment through the Victorian Government’s Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.
The site, located in Corio on the outskirts of Geelong, produces up to 1,000kg of hydrogen per day using a 2.5MW electrolyser — the largest of its kind dedicated to mobility hydrogen production in Australia.
Powered by renewable electricity and recycled water, electrolysers utilise electrical energy to separate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
The wait time for this particular electrolyser, ordered during the height of COVID restrictions, was the best part of 20 months with its ocean passage caught up in subsequent supply chain bottlenecks.
Bulk hydrogen while still in its infancy, is sold via tube trailer application, with two deliveries totalling over 300kg already completed.
Keeping hydrogen cool is very important to better control it. Measures across infrastructure design and monitoring the temperature have also been taken.
To stabilise hydrogen, it is cooled through two sub 20˚ chillers that are also part of the site design. These chillers are PLC controlled and report digitally back to an overall control system, which monitors the temperature of the infrastructure system.
For vehicles, having Infra-Red comms installed improves the refuelling process in which vehicle temperature and pressure to the refuelling system are communicated. In essence, the refuelling system and vehicle systems talk to each other.
The forecourt was designed with a combined canopy that houses both hydrogen and diesel dispensers, allowing for seamless refuelling of different vehicle types according to Sandra.
“This co-location allows for the mirroring of refuelling to what our transport operators are used to today, as well as enabling education and awareness of a hydrogen as a fuel by exposing everyday diesel drivers to what future fuel could look like, and that it can be done safely,” she says.
“Combining hydrogen and diesel under one canopy was a strategic decision to demonstrate integration and ease of use. It reinforces the message that hydrogen can be safely and practically incorporated into existing refuelling infrastructure.”
Aside from setting a precedent in Australia by making hydrogen and diesel both available at the same site, the New Energies Hub offers other advantages to industry. It encourages, for instance, operators to trial hydrogen without needing their own infrastructure, supports mixed-fuel fleets and showcases commercial viability.
This, in theory, assists fleet operators to understand the different technologies and what they need to consider as they plan their fleet decarbonising says Sandra.
“It also helps build confidence in hydrogen as a scalable and available solution for heavy transport and any other adjacent sectors,” she adds.
The station supports three nozzle types to accommodate various hydrogen vehicles. Hydrogen is dispensed at 350bar and 700bar pressures.
The bowser doesn’t release any gas to the area where the vehicle is located under the canopy, but it does vent both hydrogen before fills commence and air as part of a nozzle de-icing program post-fill.
“The 700bar customer offer was a scope addition that we added after the project was financed and had commenced in recognition of changing market dynamics and clearer signals that large heavy vehicles would be coming to Australia at the higher pressure — an offer that we wanted to enable as well,” explains Sanda.
“On site and within the plant, we store hydrogen at three different pressure to ensure an optimal refuelling experience for the customer.”
Cleanaway, who Viva Energy already supports with renewable diesel, along with Toll Group, Barwon Water and ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia are the founding project partners.
Viva Energy is currently working on bringing on new partners who will have a need for hydrogen delivered to their depots including for use in hydrogen gas generators.
Collaboration opportunities with Deakin University and Kenworth who are running a joint hydrogen truck project in Warrnambool, are also being considered.
“The flexibility to refuel at multiple pressures and with different nozzle types allows the station to serve a wide range of vehicles, from buses and waste trucks to prime movers and passenger cars,” says Sandra.
“This benefits fleet operators and OEMs trialling hydrogen in real-world conditions. If you bring a vehicle to Australia, we can fill it!”
