(Perth / Australia) – The Australian Fortescue Metals Group and the two Japanese companies Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Iwatani Corporation want to establish a “Global LH2 Consortium”. The aim is to build a supply chain for liquid hydrogen to Japan, but also to develop renewable hydrogen projects in Australia and overseas.
Spearhead of the global hydrogen industry
“This partnership with Kawasaki and Iwatani will help position Fortescue at the forefront of a global renewable hydrogen industry,” said Fortescue CEO Elizabeth Gaines. Japan is one of the priority North Asian markets for hydrogen exports. “Our people can develop complex projects quickly, so Fortescue is well positioned to meet future demand for green hydrogen.” Such a collaborative approach is “critical to building a competitive global renewable hydrogen industry.” This will “enable all parties to explore the establishment of commercial green hydrogen supply chains and support Japan’s goals to import hydrogen on a large scale from 2030.
When asked when exactly the consortium would start its work and what priorities would be set, a Fortescue spokesman said that it was “unfortunately still too early” to talk about the exact timing.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries is a global leader in the production, storage, shipping and handling of liquid hydrogen. Since 2010, Kawasaki has been supporting the development of a hydrogen energy supply chain, leveraging its expertise in the areas of extremely low temperatures, LNG ships, plant engineering and gas turbines. In 2019, Kawasaki's Suiso Frontier, the world's first tanker for liquid hydrogen, was launched.
Iwatani is the only liquid hydrogen supplier in Japan with an annual production capacity of 120 million cubic meters. Six plants supply 70 percent of the country's hydrogen market.
German-Australian cooperation
A German-Australian cooperation project “HySupply”, which was launched at the beginning of December, has similar intentions to the Global LH2 Consortium. As reported, a consortium of research and industry led by the University of New South Wales will investigate the possibilities of establishing a hydrogen supply chain based on renewable energies between the two countries.
Fortescue did not want to confirm any specific involvement in this – at first glance very similar – project. Elizabeth Gaines told Power-to-X that they took part in the first “Renewable Hydrogen Roundtable between Germany and Western Australia to explore further opportunities for collaboration and partnership”.
Fortescue is pumping billions into the hydrogen economy
Fortescue has already initiated several renewable hydrogen projects. These include a partnership with the state-run Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Canberra to develop new hydrogen technologies. There is also a $32 million project in Christmas Creek, Western Australia, which includes the construction of a refueling facility for a fleet of fuel cell buses from mid-2021. With Atco Australia, part of the Canadian conglomerate Atco Group, Fortescue wants to build the first gas station in the state of Western Australia that will also produce green hydrogen on site. A feasibility study is also being carried out for a 250 megawatt plant to produce green hydrogen in Tasmania. 250.000 tons of green ammonia are to be produced there annually.
Only in November, Fortescue founder and CEO Andrew Forrest announced plans to build solar and wind turbines worldwide with an output of 235 gigawatts in order to produce green hydrogen with the electricity (we reported).
Photos
Fortescue on the way to the hydrogen economy / © Fortescue Metals Group Ltd
