As mining companies work to decarbonise operations, hydrogen is being explored as a future energy source.
A new Australian facility is quietly emerging as a key asset in the renewable energy transition.
Designed with collaboration, flexibility, and scale in mind, this site is more than a showcase of future potential – it’s a working blueprint for how heavy industry might one day run on renewable fuels.
Led by Viva Energy Australia and supported by project partners and funding bodies including the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the Energy Hub in Geelong, Victoria, is focused on enabling hydrogen-powered solutions for vehicles big and small.
While full commercial deployment is still a way off, early signs are promising. Australian Mining conducted a tour of the site and chatted to Viva Energy head of hydrogen and EVs Sandra Lau about the future of hydrogen.
Hydrogen could be a valuable zero-emission fuel for a range of applications, including mining haul trucks, Lau said.
“Hydrogen is currently being used to power buses and prime movers, and over time, the technology has the potential to run haul trucks, diggers, excavators and other mining equipment,” she said.
“It’s early days but there is an exciting future ahead for hydrogen in mining.”
Viva Energy has established the Viva Energy Hub – a purpose-built facility designed to accelerate Australia’s transition towards cleaner transport fuels with a particular focus on hydrogen for heavy vehicles.
Acting as both a refuelling point and a technology showcase, the hub supports a broad range of partners from vehicle operators to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) without prescribing specific suppliers or models.
This vehicle-agnostic approach ensures flexibility, allowing operators to choose the technologies that best suit their needs while still benefiting from Viva Energy’s refuelling infrastructure and expertise.
The hub incorporates a 2.5-megawatt electrolyser for the generation of renewable hydrogen using recycled water from Barwon Water’s Northern Water Plant. The electrolyser can generate 1000kg of hydrogen per day, setting a new standard for electrolyser-produced hydrogen in Australia.
As part of the project, a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), including heavy vehicles operated by local businesses, will utilise the Viva Energy Hub for refuelling.
Viva Energy received a $34 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for the project as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program. This funding has supported infrastructure construction, the hydrogen vehicles and the hydrogen supply itself.
The Victorian Government also contributed $1 million to the hub via the Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.
With government endorsement, the Viva Energy Hub is positioned as a strategic stepping stone towards a low-emissions future, providing an important platform for the transition to cleaner fuels.
While hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles are still evolving, the facility lays the groundwork for their future deployment by providing a central location for collaboration between industry, funding bodies and technology providers.
And if timing is everything, the Viva Energy Hub may be right on cue to help redefine how heavy industry powers ahead.
This feature appeared in the September edition of Australian Mining.
This feature appeared in the September edition of Australian Mining.
