Leading gas and engineering company BOC, a Linde company, and bp Australia have opened Australia’s first hydrogen refuelling station at a service station at the bp Port of Brisbane Truckstop in Lytton.
This milestone marks the completion of BOC’s Bulwer Island end-to-end renewable hydrogen demonstration project funded by BOC, Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Queensland Government and bp Australia.
BOC is producing renewable hydrogen at its Bulwer Island production site with a 220 kW electrolyser powered by solar energy generated onsite. It is then transported in hydrogen tube trailers to the Linde hydrogen refuelling station located at the bp Port of Brisbane Truckstop.
Queensland Government’s QFleet will use the facility to refill its current fleet of five-hydrogen powered Hyundai Nexos in approximately 3-5 minutes. Any member of the public with a hydrogen car can also register with bp to refill their passenger vehicle with a bp plus card.
Binod Patwari, Managing Director of BOC South Pacific said the project is an excellent example of two leading companies working together to leverage skills and existing infrastructure to progress the renewable hydrogen industry.
“BOC is proud to officially open this hydrogen refuelling station with bp Australia, which is a critical part of our Bulwer Island end-to-end renewable hydrogen project and demonstrates our commitment to progress hydrogen as a zero emissions fuel for transport.
“Our Bulwer Island production site is strategically located to supply renewable hydrogen to industrial and transport customers in Queensland. We are committed to scaling our hydrogen capabilities at this site in the future to support decarbonisation of high-emitting industries and working with government and industry to activate demand for hydrogen across Queensland.
“The successful integration of a hydrogen refuelling station at an existing service station has delivered key learnings that will pave the way for more hydrogen refuelling infrastructure across Australia’s service station network. Leveraging this existing infrastructure will be important to support the uptake of heavy transport particularly on major freight routes across Australia.
“We would like to thank our partners ARENA, Queensland Government and bp Australia for their support on this project, and look forward to delivering more hydrogen refuelling, production and supply projects in the future.”
Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick De Brenni said Queensland’s green hydrogen industry is the next frontier in a world hungry for renewables and the greatest climate, jobs, and economic opportunity in a generation.
“The decarbonisation of transport is one of the clearest routes to take as we travel towards our 2050 net-zero emissions target, and here in Queensland the rubber is hitting the road.
“Green hydrogen will be a game changer in decarbonising heavy haulage, shipping, manufacturing, and aviation–slashing emissions, helping tackle climate change, and safeguarding our natural wonders for generations to come.
“Hydrogen in the vehicle network offers benefits in terms of range, payloads, and fast refuelling, so I could not be prouder that it’s Queenslanders driving the change in building the national East Coast Renewable Hydrogen Superhighway.”
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said: “BOC is playing a critical role in the development of a renewable hydrogen industry in Australia, proving the case for a practical fleet of passenger vehicles powered by hydrogen, starting with a trial of five vehicles by Queensland Government’s QFleet.
“Projects like this are vital in helping to improve the business case for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, particularly with the potential of transitioning heavy vehicle truck fleets in the future.
“We congratulate BOC on the completion of their project in what will no doubt help to provide a pathway for other companies looking to transition their vehicle fleets to renewable hydrogen.”
Frédéric Baudry, president, bp Australia and SVP fuels & low carbon solutions, Asia Pacific, said: “bp believes hydrogen will play a critical role in reaching net zero – it’s complementary to electrification and pivotal in the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate transportation sectors. So, the opening of this refueler is particularly exciting.
“By safely integrating a hydrogen fueler into our service station network, we’re showing that existing infrastructure can be used to facilitate hydrogen passenger vehicles.”
John Kett, Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Company Australia, said: “We congratulate BOC and bp on the launch of their new hydrogen refuelling facility in Brisbane. This critical piece of infrastructure will be a key driver of the growth of Queensland’s hydrogen ecosystem and the hydrogen mobility sector in particular. HMCA was delighted to deliver the Queensland Government’s first five hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (NEXO SUV’s) and looks forward to supporting more Aussie customers in the future as we make the transition to clean hydrogen fuel.”
As one of the world’s leading industrial gases and engineering companies, Linde is playing a key role in the clean energy transition. The company is actively supporting its customers to decarbonise their operations with the latest technologies for clean hydrogen and carbon capture, and by leveraging its world-class engineering organisation, its existing hydrogen infrastructure and operational expertise.
Linde offers solutions across the entire clean hydrogen value chain and is implementing projects across a range of applications and industries, with more in the pipeline, having installed over 200 hydrogen refuelling stations globally and successfully completed the hydrogen refuelling of over 1.8 million cars, buses and forklifts.
