Coregas, a Wesfarmers company, has placed an order for two of Hyzon Motors’ hydrogen fuel cell-powered prime mover trucks to be delivered in 2022.
The Hyzon Hymax-450s will be the first hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles to operate in Australia. They will be refuelled at Coregas’ facility at the BlueScope Port Kembla Steelworks in New South Wales.
With the support of the New South Wales Government and its Port Kembla Community Investment Fund, Coregas will develop a hydrogen refuelling station at its existing Port Kembla hydrogen production facility, supporting the introduction of zero emission hydrogen fuel cell trucks to the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region for the first time.
The facility will enable the deployment of Australia’s first prime mover fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles to initiate a transformation of the region’s transport environmental footprint.
Coregas executive general manager, Alan Watkins, said: “Coregas is working hard to apply our expertise in hydrogen distribution, compression and storage to Australia’s transition to a hydrogen economy. Transforming the transport sector is a critical piece of the puzzle, and we are delighted to partner with Hyzon to operate these vehicles out of our Hydrogen refuelling station in Port Kembla.”
Hyzon Motors CEO, New York-based Australian Craig Knight, said Hyzon is proud to partner with Coregas in a shared effort to decarbonise Australia’s heavy trucking industry.
“This partnership reflects two truths about the energy transition: first, that the technology is ready to be deployed now; second, that collaborative efforts are integral in accelerating this shift,” Knight said.
“We are excited to work with Coregas to introduce hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks to Australia.”
The NSW government has recently announced a $70 million package to support the establishment of hydrogen hubs in the state, with Port Kembla identified as a priority location given its deep-water port, electricity and gas infrastructure, water recycling plant, road and rail connections, R&D presence and sizeable heavy-duty vehicle fleet.
Hyzon signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pure Hydrogen Corporation earlier this year to develop a network of hydrogen refuelling stations for Australia.