Viva Energy’s hydrogen plans revealed

Construction on an Australian-first public hydrogen refuelling station is set to begin this year.

Concept images of Viva Energy's hydrogen service station.

Construction on an Australian-first public hydrogen refuelling station is set to begin this year.

Viva Energy revealed plans for the $43m “new energies” service station in 2021.

Hydrogen has been increasingly endorsed as a possible solution to Australia’s looming gas shortage.

The project is aimed to encourage plans to decarbonise transport, including road freight, commuter buses and other commercial heavy transport.

Development applications filed earlier this year revealed the Refinery Rd site would include a service station with hydrogen at the pump, electric vehicle charging as well as the option for conventional diesel refuelling.

Dale Cooper at the Viva Geelong Refinery in Corio. Picture: Brad Fleet

Viva’s head of hydrogen and electric vehicles Sandra Lau said: “We are focusing on a unique approach to hydrogen mobility that brings a partnership of heavy-vehicle fleet operators together.”

“We’re going to take high carbon intensity vehicles off the road by helping them deploy fuel-cell electric vehicles, and proving that there is a practical application of hydrogen technology.”

It’s expected the project will be finished later this year, with plans for at least 12 hydrogen-fuelled heavy vehicles on order.

In early 2021, Viva Energy partnered with US-based Hyzon Motors to provide zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.

The station will operate as an unmanned, 24-hour facility open seven days a week.

Development and investment in clean hydrogen as an energy solution has skyrocketed across Australia.

A federal government report released in 2021 revealed commercial and public investment in hydrogen had exceeded $1.6bn

According to the report, total global investment in clean hydrogen projects was estimated at $54bn, with another $64bn committed to delivering projects currently in their planning phase.

The cost of producing clean hydrogen is expected to decline between $2 and $4 by 2030.

Experts predicted, like any new industry, it would take time for demand to build, but the uptake of new technology and government support was expected to speed up the process.

Those sentiments were echoed by Ms Lau, who said hydrogen was a great solution to decarbonise heavy vehicles that couldn’t easily run as a traditional EV.

“Hydrogen can play a role in that space,” she said.

By encouraging commercial partners to take up the use of hydrogen-fuelled heavy vehicles and supplying the refuelling station, the energy company hoped to avoid the “chicken and egg” argument of whether vehicles or service stations needed to come first.

There have been calls for the technology to be used in other areas of Geelong as well.

In 2020, a Labor think tank argued the former Ford Factory should be transformed into a demonstration site for green hydrogen.

“A Victorian hydrogen industry represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if we get the investment and policy settings right, Victoria will play an integral role in shaping Australia’s long-term economic recovery from Covid-19,” it read.

The refuelling station is the latest project for the Geelong refinery, which employs more than 700 people and in 2024 marks its 70th year of operation.

Viva’s other big proposal – an LNG import terminal to be built off Refinery Pier – is currently undergoing a state planning assessment.

Viva Energy executive general manager Dale Cooper said planning for a cleaner-energy future meant diversifying the site’s operations.

“We’ve got a very skilled workforce that has the skills and adaptability to be able to help evolve the refinery from traditional fuel transportation to fuels like the energy hub, which will diversify the types of energy products we can provide to the marketplace,” he said.

“As we start to develop hydrogen for commercial trucking, there’s the possibly hydrogen could be used for marine vessels or hydrogen on long-haul trains that can’t be electrified easily.”

Originally published as Viva Energy’s hydrogen plans revealed