CO2CRC has completed the delivery of a hydrogen refining plant to AGL’s Loy Yang facility in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. The plant was delivered on trucks in four parts over December and February.
The pilot plant has been designed to produce hydrogen from synthetic gas (syngas) produced by coal gasification. Once up and running it will process up to two tonnes of raw coal to produce up to 84 kg of 99.999% purity hydrogen each day.
The plant will be used as part of the pilot phase of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project – a world first trial to establish the feasibility of supplying clean hydrogen for export from Victoria’s Latrobe Valley’s brown coal. The hydrogen produced will be liquefied in the Port of Hastings and transported to Kobe, Japan in a custom-made hydrogen carrier.
The pilot phase of the HESC project, which was initiated by Japanese company, KHI, and backed by the Victorian, Australian and Japanese governments, is now under construction in the Latrobe Valley. Japan’s J-POWER is leading the gasification to hydrogen production components of the project.
CO2CRC is a key contributor to the HESC project, conducting feasibility, FEED (front end engineering and design) studies and EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) for the hydrogen refining aspect of the project. CO2CRC engaged Melbourne engineering company, GLP Group, for assistance with the EPC work.
“This project will deliver Australia’s first coal to hydrogen pilot plant. If the project proceeds to the commercial phase, it promises a ‘clean hydrogen’ use for the Latrobe Valley’s vast coal reserves. CO2CRC is delighted to be playing a part in a project which aims to create a new hydrogen export industry for Australia,” said David Byers, CEO of CO2CRC.
The pilot plant is now undergoing installation which will be followed by commissioning and performance testing.
