Hydrogen News from Asia and Australia (May 2024)
The Hydrogen Stream: Japan expands ties with Germany, South Africa
The Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (Jogmec) and Germany’s H2Global Foundation have agreed to cooperate on clean hydrogen, while officials from Japan and South Africa met this week to discuss hydrogen collaboration opportunities.
Japanese energy companies launch the country’s largest green hydrogen project
Eneos, Idemitsu Kosan and Hokkaido Electric Power Company plan to build at least 100MW of capacity on Japan’s northernmost island. Japanese oil & gas firms Eneos and Idemitsu Kosan have signed a memorandum of understanding with utility Hokkaido Electric Power Company (Hokuden) to develop a green hydrogen project with at least 100MW of electrolysis capacity within the country by 2030.
Japan’s largest steelmaker claims hydrogen injection has cut its test blast furnace emissions by a third
Nippon Steel plans to deploy H2-based process at Kimitsu works at beginning of 2026.
Toyota to mass-produce hydrogen electrolysers in partnership with Chiyoda
The Japanese companies plan to sell the 5MW PEM machines in their home market and overseas. Auto maker Toyota is to mass-produce its own 5MW PEM electrolysers in a partnership with fellow Japanese company Chiyoda Corporation, the companies announced today. The equipment has been developed using the same stacks as Toyota’s fuel cells, which it uses in its hydrogen-powered Mirai car.
Ten years in the making | GM and Honda begin mass production of hydrogen fuel cells at Michigan factory
Joint venture says it has brought down costs down by a third compared to Honda’s standalone fuel cell. Auto giants General Motors (GM) and Honda started mass production of their hydrogen fuel cell systems at their factory in Michigan, ten years after they first started work on the technology.The $85m “FCSM” factory in Brownstown, Michigan — named after the 50:50 Fuel Cell System Manufacturing joint venture between US-based GM and Japan’s Honda that funded the facility — will now churn out fuel cells for “various product applications and business ventures”.
South Korea passes 1GW of hydrogen fuel cells installed for power, but ‘market not gaining momentum’
Manufacturing plant expansions exceed the capacity bid into government auctions
Australia poised to jointly fund a €400m H2Global green hydrogen subsidy auction with German government
Money will be used to subsidise green hydrogen produced in Australia and exported to Germany
Japanese conglomerate agrees to import 400,000 tonnes of green hydrogen-based ammonia a year from India
ACME has secured offtake for 30% of its Odisha plant’s output once fully built. Japanese engineering conglomerate IHI has signed a term sheet with Indian renewables developer ACME for 400,000 tonnes a year of green ammonia offtake starting from 2028…In August, ACME said it would stump up 270 billion rupees ($3.3bn), although it is unclear whether this refers to the amount of investment needed to build the project’s first phase, or its total commitment to the plant’s costs. Ammonia’s use in power generation is controversial. While proponents in Japan have argued that the country has limited options to built out wind and solar to decarbonise its grid, necessitating imports of clean H2 and NH3, critics have pointed out that in the short term, this will necessarily mean co-combustion with fossil fuels…Late last year, the Japanese government announced ¥3trn ($21bn) in subsidies for both domestically produced and imported clean hydrogen (and its derivatives) to cover the cost gap with their fossil equivalents.
Japanese firm starts work on four-stroke hydrogen engine for H2 and battery-powered ‘hybrid’ ship
Yanmar plans two designs: one using a biofuel ignition source and the other running on 100% H2… Japanese engine manufacturer Yanmar has announced it has started development of two types of hydrogen-fuelled four-stroke engine for use in ships along the coast, including one that will be used on a “hybrid” H2-battery electric vessel.
Similar to the ammonia-powered engine brought to market by Wartsila in November, Yanmar will first develop a so-called “pilot ignition” engine, which uses a small amount of biofuel to ignite the engine and co-combusts hydrogen.
The Japanese firm aims to start onshore verification tests for a 6-cylinder engine this year, with an eye towards verifying the pilot ignition engine in operations by 2026. It also plans to design another engine that only runs on hydrogen, including for ignition…While Yanmar said in its announcement that verification tests for both types of engine would take place “concurrently”, it confirmed to Hydrogen Insight that the development timeline for the engine running only on hydrogen has not been finalised…Yanmar last year started taking orders for a 300kW hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion system for small vessels.
Japanese government allocates $21bn to clean hydrogen subsidies
The money will be spent over a 15-year period under the previously announced CfD-style scheme.
Chinese provinces aim to install more than 1,200 hydrogen refuelling stations by end of next year: analyst
If the targets are achieved, the total would exceed the current number of H2 filling stations installed around the world…While China does not offer direct subsidies such as those offered in the US or EU, some analysts have noted that since many of its energy companies are state-owned, this could mean policy is directly applied as soon as targets are set, rather than when incentives kick in.
Malaysia’s largest green hydrogen project to begin construction this year after closing $400m in finance
Semarak Renewable Energy has commissioned PowerChina to build a 60MW facility powered by floating solar…Malaysia’s largest green hydrogen project so far, a 60MW plant in the state of Perak powered by floating solar, has secured a 1.88bn-ringgit ($393.6m) from private investors. The deal was facilitated by Singaporean investment firm Capitale Ventures with Chalfouh LLC as advisory.
Pioneering AEM electrolyser maker announces first pre-tax profits as it seals Chinese licensing deal
Enapter reports double the turnover for 2023 from previous year, amid strong interest in its megawatt-scale product
Chinese electrolyser companies secure export orders for green hydrogen projects in Middle East and Asia
Longi, Mingyang, and Shuangliang will supply a combined 65MW of equipment…Three Chinese electrolyser manufacturers secured a combined 65MW of orders in January from projects in Oman, Thailand, and Uzbekistan. Solar module giant Longi has reportedly won its bid to supply state-owned construction firm PowerChina with 20MW of electrolysers for installation at ACWA Power’s pilot green ammonia project in Uzbekistan.
Chinese carmaker plans world’s biggest green hydrogen-to-methanol project
The plant will produce an initial 500,000 tonnes a year, but could be scaled up to 100 million tonnes of annual capacity…A subsidiary of Chinese auto company Geely has secured approvals for a green methanol project that could reach 100 million tonnes of annual production capacity, requiring about 20 million tonnes a year of green hydrogen, according to local reports. .
Green hydrogen will make up more than a quarter of China’s H2 supply by 2035: Sinopec
State-owned Chinese oil and gas company predicts that year will see almost 12 million tonnes a year of renewable hydrogen production.
Chinese start-up unveils world’s first gaseous-hydrogen truck with 1,000km range
Guangzhou-based Hybot says its fuel cell is 20% more efficient than rivals’ tech, requiring 8kg of H2 per 100km
Hydrogen fuel-cell trucks normally have a fuel consumption of 9-9.2kg per 100km — 12.5-15% higher than the H49 — according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.
Germany’s Daimler has also unveiled a truck that can travel further than 1,000km on a single tank, but that runs on cryogenic liquid hydrogen — which contains 50% more energy by volume than gaseous hydrogen at 700 bar, and is not dispensed at any public H2 filling station.
Only two hydrogen cars sold in South Korea last month, despite subsidies offering 50% discounts
Country wants to see 300,000 H2 vehicles on its roads by 2030, up from less than 35,000 today.
South Korea to ease explosion-related restrictions on hydrogen filling stations to help boost their numbers
The country currently has 192 refuelling stations, but the demand for new fuel-cell vehicles fell by more 50% last year…South Korea’s government aims to have 300,000 hydrogen-powered cars, vans and trucks on its roads by 2030, up from 34,258 at the end of last year.
Bloom Energy and SK ecoplant Collaborate on a Major Hydrogen Project to be Developed by Korea Southern Power Co., Ltd
Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) and SK ecoplant, an engineering and energy solutions provider and subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, today announced a sale of Bloom’s electrolyzer…Jeju Island’s “Carbon Free Island 2030” project aims to fully convert all vehicles and electricity generation to renewables by 2030. Hydrogen generated from this project will be used to advance that goal, demonstrating an alternative way to provide renewable and sustainable energy by helping supply green hydrogen to hydrogen refueling stations to power public vehicles.
How India Plans to Achieve Cost-Effective Green Hydrogen Production
The green hydrogen market in India has yet to have a dedicated statewide network of interconnected hydrogen pipelines. India can take a cue from Europe, which established a dedicated hydrogen transport network by building on its pre-existing gas network (the European Hydrogen Backbone project). There is a great emphasis on green hydrogen as a potential option to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors, including refineries, ammonia, methanol, iron and steel, and heavy-duty trucks.
India Launches Pilot Projects for Green Hydrogen in Maritime Sector Under National Mission
In a significant move towards sustainable maritime practices, the President of India has given the green light to initiate the Scheme for Pilot Projects on Utilizing Green Hydrogen in the Shipping Sector under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM).
The Hydrogen Stream: India working on a policy mechanism to promote the use of green hydrogen for providing round-the-clock renewable energy
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is working on the modalities for promoting the use of green hydrogen in supporting round-the-clock electricity. India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is working on the modalities for promoting the use of green hydrogen in supporting round-the-clock electricity…The Minister stated that learnings from the first such project will be used to undertake bigger projects in the future.
Green Hydrogen Revolution in Indian Steel: National Mission Unleashes Promising Pilot Initiatives
The Indian Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has unveiled guidelines for implementing pilot projects promoting the use of green hydrogen in the steel sector under the National Green Hydrogen Mission… The scheme also encourages innovative hydrogen applications for carbon emission reduction in iron and steel production.
India gets bids for green hydrogen, electrolyser incentives
Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), opens new tab, JSW Energy (JSWE.NS), opens new tab, Torrent Power (TOPO.NS), opens new tab and Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL.NS), opens new tab are among 14 companies that have bid for incentives under India’s green hydrogen plan, according to a government agency. Twenty companies including Reliance Industries, Adani Group, Jindal India, Larsen & Toubro (LART.NS), opens new tab and Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL.NS), opens new tab have also submitted bids for incentives to manufacture electrolysers, statements from Solar Energy Corp of India said.
Hydrogen (SEMB.NS), opens new tab, CESC (CESC.NS), opens new tab, Greenko ZeroC and Avaada GreenH2, they said.
The statements showed that for an invitation to set up 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of electrolyser manufacturing capacity, bids for 3.4 GW were received.
Other bidders for electrolysers include Waaree Energies (WAAN.NS), opens new tab, Ohmium Operations, Advait Infratech (ADVF.BO), opens new tab and Acme Cleantech Solutions.
India aims to reach 5 million tons in annual green hydrogen production capacity by 2030.
New Tool Boosts Standards in Australia’s Hydrogen Industry
Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and Standards Australia have launched a new resource called HyStandards to help the growing hydrogen industry find relevant Australian and international standards for their hydrogen projects.
Australia is expected to become the second-largest net exporter of low-emissions hydrogen by 2030 and the largest by 2050. Given this expected growth, robust standards that provide quality, safety, and compatibility are needed.
https://www.miragenews.com/new-tool-boosts-standards-in-australias-1178844
Govs to invest $140M for Pilbara hydrogen hub development
The Western Australian and Federal Governments have agreed to a $140 million investment to build a hydrogen hub in the Pilbara region, Western Australia. The Pilbara Hydrogen Hub is expected to become a major center for hydrogen production and export, with the potential to become an international gateway to Australian-made green steel and iron.
New South Wales and Tokyo have signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration around the energy transition.
The first MoU marked a renewed commitment to progress and strengthened existing ties in education, sports, and sustainable city planning. It encompasses new areas of commitment around the transition to a clean economy and its liveability. The second MoU aims to further enhance collaboration around the energy transition, focusing on hydrogen.
North Queensland hydrogen hub powers ahead
The Federal Government has announced it will invest up to $70 million to develop the Townsville Region Hydrogen Hub in North Queensland.
Milestone for hydrogen generation in NT
Hydrogen has been produced in the Northern Territory for the first time at Charles Darwin University (CDU) – a step towards establishing a hydrogen generation industry in the Territory.
Hydrogen: the rising star of sustainable energy
It has become increasingly clear that hydrogen is poised to play a pivotal role in sculpting a sustainable future. As industries across the spectrum recognise hydrogen’s potential as an alternative energy source, the buzz around this versatile element is undeniable. From transportation to energy production, hydrogen’s applications seem boundless. However, as with all things, there is a need to strike a balance between its potential and environmental sustainability.
Bell Bay Hydrogen Hub to receive $70M federal funding
The Federal Government has agreed to develop the Bell Bay hydrogen hub in Northern Tasmania with a $70 million investment, which it says will create regional jobs and advance Australia’s future as a renewable energy superpower.
SA Gov signs hydrogen offtake agreement for Whyalla electrolyser
The South Australian Government and GFG Alliance have signed an offtake agreement to explore the potential for a supply of hydrogen from the 250MW electrolyser in Whyalla to support GFG’s transformation to green iron and steel.