Hydrogen’s versatility, abundance, and ability to be produced and used without emitting CO2 puts it at the forefront of many of today’s clean energy discussions. Interesting projects are being announced around the world, and Darcy Member Origin Energy is at the forefront of several exciting green hydrogen initiatives.

Australia is a natural green hydrogen hub

Green hydrogen is typically produced using renewable-powered electrolyzers, and thus without generating carbon emissions. Australia offers two compelling green hydrogen characteristics: abundant renewable energy to power those electrolyzers and close proximity to large, growing markets in Asia. As a result, the Australian government is aggressively pursuing a national hydrogen strategy that centers around the creation of several hubs to supply the world’s growing demand for clean hydrogen.

And within Australia, Origin is particularly well-equipped to drive the country’s hydrogen strategy. As an integrated energy company, Origin has expertise across the entire value chain of hydrogen: renewable power generation, energy trading and retailing, gas infrastructure management, and complex industrial project development and operation. It’s no surprise, then, that Origin is working on three interesting Australian projects.

Origin's Hydrogen Value Chain (Source: Origin Energy 2020 Investor Presentation)

Three distinct projects

Origins three projects are illustrative of the many opportunities and challenges in clean hydrogen. The most advanced project is a 300MW / 36,000 tonne green hydrogen facility in Queensland that will be powered by solar and wind. What’s exciting about this effort isn’t the production method, but the transportation plan. Origin has teamed up with Kawasaki Heavy Industries on the project, and the two firms plan to export a portion of the product by ship as liquified hydrogen. Notably, a little over a year ago Kawasaki announced the launch of the world’s first liquified hydrogen transport ship, the Suiso Frontier, which is capable of transporting hydrogen at 1/800 of its original gas-state volume and cooled to –253°C. Shipborne transportation of liquefied hydrogen is seen as a major cost and technical hurdle for its emergence as a global energy carrier, so Origin’s project will be watched closely.

Perhaps as a nod to the uncertainty around liquified hydrogen transportation by ship, Origin has a second project that is pursuing an alternative pathway. In Tasmania, Origin will utilize the island’s abundant hydro and wind energy resources to produce 420,000 tonnes of hydrogen. In this case, though, the hydrogen will be blended with nitrogen to produce ammonia, which will then be exported by ship. Why convert it to ammonia? Ammonia has a high hydrogen content (17.65 wt%) and, importantly, can be liquified at just -33°C, making it cheaper and simpler to transport by ship than liquefied hydrogen. A key question is what to do with the ammonia on the other side: convert it back to hydrogen, which is energy intensive, or perhaps utilize it directly as a fuel (an enticing but relatively early opportunity)?

And finally, Origin’s third project will be of most interest to Darcy’s power and gas utility members. With the Western Sydney Green Gas Project, Origin is using its solar and wind assets to power a 500kW electrolyzer. The hydrogen will then be blended at a mix of less than 10% into Australian gas utility Jemana’s domestic natural gas distribution network. The project will not only reveal learnings about the use of hydrogen in natural gas distribution infrastructure, but it will also focus on integration and management of electrolyzers with the grid.

Undoubtedly, Origin is leading the way on innovative hydrogen projects. We hope to highlight some of these projects, and others, in our 2021 Energy Transition Program. Please feel free to reach out to our team to discuss these projects, express interest in a specific effort, or be connected to Origin to learn more about their work.