Japan invests in hydrogen project in Australia

In South Africa, Mining Weekly reported that the Japanese government, through its Green Innovation Fund, has committed $1.55-billion to establish the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project, in Victoria, Australia. The HESC project was piloted in January of last year, and demonstrated that clean liquid hydrogen can be extracted from a mix of Latrobe Valley coal and biomass, liquified, shipped and unloaded in the Port of Kobe in Japan, according to the report. The latest round of funding will be delivered via Japan Suiso Energy (JSE) comprising Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Iwatani Corporation. A newly formed J-POWER and Sumitomo Corporation joint venture (JPSC JV) will supply 30 000 t/y of clean hydrogen gas to a JSE-owned and operated liquefaction and shipping facility at the industrial Port of Hastings. The report noted that JPSC JV will extract the hydrogen from Latrobe Valley coal with carbon capture and storage facilities in the nearby Bass Strait. The JPSC JV will initially produce between 30 000 t/y and 40 000 t/y of gaseous clean hydrogen. “After a decade of working together with the Japanese, Australian and Victorian governments, our efforts to establish a world-first clean hydrogen energy supply chain have been rewarded,” Japan Suiso Energy CEO Dr Eiichi Harada said. “This is a complex project and there is still some way to go in terms of approvals, design, construction and commissioning but this is a major boost for the Victorian economy on its journey towards a clean energy future,” Harada added.

More on the story.