Current Hydrogen Projects in New Zealand
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Fortescue Future Industries and Channel Infrastructure’s study into the potential feasibility of green hydrogen production at Channel’s Marsden Point site is progressing, with the next phase focussed on manufacturing and supply for the domestic market, expected to be finalised in the first half of 2023.
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Obayashi Corporation, together with its group company Halcyon Power Limited ("Halcyon Power") and Fiji Gas Pte Limited ("Fiji Gas"), has launched a demonstration project (the "Demonstration Project") to ship geothermal-derived green hydrogen produced in New Zealand ("NZ") to the Republic of Fiji ("Fiji") to be utilized as fuel for a hydrogen/diesel dual-fuel generator ("DF generator"). Read more here
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In November 2021, TR Group ordered 20 x Hyzon hydrogen fuel cell trucks for the New Zealand market, with the first units arriving mid-2022 and the remainder arriving by the end of 2022. The 600HP, 58 tonne GCM tractor units will be powered by 100% green hydrogen, with the only emissions being water vapour.
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Emirates Team New Zealand launched their prototype hydrogen-powered foiling chase boat ‘Chase Zero’ in March 2022. Toyota New Zealand played a significant part in the acquisition of the two all-important fuel cells, under the banner of its Toyota NZ Hydrogen Project.
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In May 2022 Toyota New Zealand partnered with eight iconic Auckland-based companies to trial New Zealand’s first commercial application of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The car-sharing scheme utilises four Toyota FCEV Mirai that are refuelled using green hydrogen.
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Ports of Auckland invited Auckland Transport to participate in its Hydrogen Demonstration Project. In March 2021 Auckland Transport unveiled New Zealand’s first hydrogen fuel cell bus. The bus was developed by Christchurch-based Global Bus Ventures and is refuelled using green hydrogen at Port of Auckland’s temporary refuelling station.
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In February 2021 BOC a subsidiary of the American-Anglo-German multinational Linde plc announced its plant at Glenbrook will produce the first supply of certified carbon-free, or "green", hydrogen in New Zealand for use in neighbouring New Zealand Steel manufacturing plant and for use in multiple new hydrogen projects around the country.
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In September 2021 Air New Zealand and Airbus signed an MOU and announced a joint initiative to research how hydrogen-powered aircraft could assist the airline with its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. In November 2022 Air New Zealand announced its Mission Next Generation Aircraft, which is an accelerator programme to progress two goals. Firstly, it aims to fly its first commercial demonstrator flight in 2026. Secondly to replace its Q300 fleet with more sustainable aircraft, with the use of green hydrogen or battery hybrid systems from 2030.
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Hyundai New Zealand has established its hydrogen demonstration project to showcase its FCEV NEXO and to share the globally leading technology with New Zealanders. Hyundai New Zealand is currently working with several New Zealand companies to commission New Zealand’s first hydrogen refuelling station. In May 2022 Tūaropaki Trust took delivery of a Hyundai NEXO and the vehicle will be run on the hydrogen being produced at Halcyon Power’s green hydrogen plant at Mōkai.
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Hyundai New Zealand’s Xcient truck demonstration project will see the initial deployment of five zero-emission hydrogen FCEV trucks. The project aims to demonstrate that FCEVs as a heavy-duty, reliable, cost-effective replacement for diesel trucks and produce evidence of which contexts they have advantages over battery electric. In July 2022 NZ Post became the first Kiwi owner of Hyundai’s Xcient FCEV truck.
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Construction of the first of four high-capacity refuelling stations started in Palmerston North in May 2022. The four refuelling stations are being developed by companies Hiringa Energy and Waitomo Group. Three other refuelling stations in Hamilton, Tauriko and Auckland are due to start construction in late 2022.
On Tuesday 23 April 2024, Hiringa Energy officially opened their green hydrogen refuelling network in Wiri, Auckland.
The initiative was officially opened by energy and transport minister Simeon Brown. With 25% of New Zealand’s transport emissions coming from the heavy transport sector in spite of only making up 4% of the vehicles on the roads, this marks a groundbreaking step towards decarbonising the country’s heavy transportation sector, says Hiringa.
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The Kapuni Green Hydrogen Project is a collaboration between Ballance Agri-nutrients & Hiringa Energy. Four new wind turbines will be located on Parininihi Ki Waitotara (PKW) land south of the Ballance Kapuni plant. An underground high-voltage cable will connect the turbines to the electrolyser located at the Ballance Kapuni Plant.
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Clarus, (formally Firstgas Group) released a plan for the decarbonisation of its gas pipeline network in New Zealand in March 2021. The Hydrogen Network Trial study confirmed that the Clarus pipeline network could be 20% hydrogen by 2035, with a move to 100% hydrogen by 2050. Research to date also showed that most appliances will not be affected by blends of hydrogen up to 20%.
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The H2 Taranaki Roadmap was launched in March 2019, with the purpose to look at the potential of Taranaki to leverage its existing skills and infrastructure to become a global leader in hydrogen production & utilisation. The report was a project undertaken by New Plymouth District Council, Venture Taranaki Trust, & Hiringa Energy Limited.
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Halcyon Power Limited is a 50/50 partnership between Turaropaki Trust and Obayashi Corporation of Japan to produce green hydrogen. Electricity generated by the Tuaropaki Geothermal Power Station at Mōkai is used to produce green hydrogen via electrolysis. In May 2022 Tūaropaki Trust took delivery of a Hyundai NEXO, and the vehicle will be run on the green hydrogen being produced at Mōkai.
On Monday 22 April 2024, Halcyon, New Zealand’s leading green hydrogen producer, opened the country’s first green hydrogen fast refuelling station at Wiri, South Auckland. This is the second step in a growing nationwide network of supply locations being pioneered by Halcyon and other early adopters of hydrogen technology. The refueller is located on the Coregas site on Roscommon Road, manufactured by H2H Energy and installed in partnership with MB Century and BECA.
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GNS Science’s world leading research programme responds to the ambitious challenge of decarbonising New Zealand’s energy sector through the implementation of green hydrogen (hauwai kākāriki) production and storage technologies.
They have several promising options currently under development that are capable of delivering a step-change in green energy production, both in the materials used for catalysis and in production process techniques.
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MBIE is currently developing a roadmap that will provide a blueprint for the development of a hydrogen industry in New Zealand.
As part of New Zealand’s Emissions Reduction Plan, the Government committed to developing a hydrogen roadmap by 2023 to set Government objectives for hydrogen, and its potential to reduce emissions and maximise economic benefits. The roadmap will inform the New Zealand Energy Strategy, which is due to be finalised by the end of 2024.
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In May 2023 Standards New Zealand completed its Hydrogen Standards Review on behalf of WorkSafe-Energy Safety, which is New Zealand’s workplace health and safety regulator.
The three year work programme involved a comprehensive review of a suite of New Zealand, joint and international technical safety standards that cover the production, distribution and use of hydrogen.
The resulting outcome is a standards development implementation strategy that lays out a multi-year prioritisation plan of standards adoptions to enable the safe integration of hydrogen across New Zealand’s energy landscape.
The report recommends the direct-adoption of fifteen international standards, as well as the modified-adoption of an additional eight others and progressive updates to twenty joint-standards (AS/NZS) as well as the revision of eight New Zealand-specific standards (NZS).
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As the host country of APEC 2021, New Zealand is leading this project which involves international collaboration with APEC nations to develop and implement an international standard for low-carbon hydrogen.
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Fabrum in conjunction with Clean Power Hydrogen (CPH2) have pioneered a green hydrogen solution that delivers membrane-free Liquid Hydrogen Systems, along with Fabrum’s hydrogen liquefaction and storage solutions.
Fabrum’s Green Hydrogen Production System aims to provide a cheaper and more reliable way of generating green hydrogen from renewable electricity for refuelling transport and industrial uses. The revolutionary system splits water into high-purity hydrogen and medical-grade oxygen without the polymer membrane used in more widely used electrolysers.
Fabrum is developing and deploying an end-to-end scalable hydrogen refuelling solution for HW Richardson to enable fleet-ready access to hydrogen; this coincides with HWR’s plans to have ten dual-fuel hydrogen diesel trucks on the road by Q2 of 2023.
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Global Bus Ventures designed and built New Zealand’s first hydrogen fuel cell bus, which was launched by Auckland Transport in March 2021. The bus provides a long range, fast refuelling, zero emission solution, which is being used to test operational performance and to compare operating costs to diesel and electric buses of similar configurations.
Global Bus Ventures hydrogen capability encompasses the design, manufacture and software integration of powertrain systems and they were selected to work with Emirates Team New Zealand to help with the system integration of their hydrogen-powered chase boat Chase Zero, which was launched in Auckland in March 2022 and will be used for the Americas Cup Yacht Race in Barcelona in 2024.
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University of Canterbury researchers are leading initiatives to advance green hydrogen energy in Aotearoa New Zealand after two projects received $4 million from the Government in August 2022.
The first project is a partnership with German researchers, German Aerospace Center (DLR), aims to develop an integrated energy system model for New Zealand that could provide sustainable transport, heating and electricity.
The second project, another German New Zealand collaboration, aims to develop a new type of electrolyser that will produce green hydrogen in a more cost-effective way.
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In February 2023 six companies launched a new consortium to advance zero-emission aviation in New Zealand.
The partners include Airbus, Fortescue Future Industries, Air New Zealand, Fabrum, Hiringa Energy and Christchurch Airport.
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The German-New Zealand green hydrogen research centre at the University of Otago will allow researchers from across New Zealand to access cutting-edge technology from research partner Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon. The Centre will be one of the top four in the world for accurately measuring hydrogen uptake by hydrogen storage materials.
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HWR plans to lead the heavy transport industry’s transition to hydrogen through dual fuel where trucks run on both hydrogen and an existing diesel fuel source. HWR plans to have ten trucks on the road by early 2024 to coincide with its first hydrogen plant being commissioned in Gore in the South Island of New Zealand.
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Utilising its Allied Petroleum refuelling station network that operates throughout New Zealand, HWR will produce, distribute and utilise green hydrogen within its heavy vehicle fleet by adding hydrogen refuelling capability to its existing and new sites. The first refuelling station will open in Gore in September 2023.
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Meridian, with the support of Ngāi Tahu, and partners Woodside Energy and Mitsui are moving forward to the development stage of the Southern Green Hydrogen (SGH) project, which aims to develop a 500,000 tonne per year hydrogen and ammonia production facility in Southland utilising electrolysis and renewable electricity.