Australia’s Woodside (ASX:WPL) is studying the technical and commercial feasibility of a liquid hydrogen supply chain from Western Australia to Singapore and potentially Japan.
Woodside is partnering with Singapore’s Keppel Data Centres, Japan’s Osaka Gas business division in Singapore, as well as Singaporean city-gas distributor City Energy and City-OG Gas Energy Services, following a memorandum of understanding signed between the companies.
The latest pact follows the announcement of the proposed H2 Perth hydrogen facility in Kwinana, Western Australia, where Woodside plans to establish a large-scale liquid hydrogen and ammonia export hub. The study is expected to continue until mid-2022, at which point the partners will decide on the next phase of their collaboration, Woodside said today.
Hydrogen does not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) during combustion and is considered a promising next generation, low-carbon fuel that can be used in a range of applications including power generation, town gas and as an industrial feedstock. Hydrogen can be liquefied by cooling it to below negative 253 degrees Celsius, and liquid hydrogen occupies significantly less volume than in its gaseous state so it can be stored and transported more easily.
“H2Perth is ideally located in Western Australia for shipping to Singapore and Japan and the project site is close to existing gas, power, water, and port infrastructure, as well as a skilled local residential workforce,” said Woodside.
Keppel said that “this MOU will explore the feasibility of harnessing liquid hydrogen from Australia to power our data centres in Singapore, with potential applications for other Keppel business units in future. This collaboration in the upstream liquid hydrogen supply chain complements the existing MOUs we have entered with various partners to explore the mid-to downstream segments, including transportation, storage and regasification.”
“In line with Keppel’s Vision 2030 and carbon emission reduction targets, we are committed to the decarbonisation of data centre operations through our research efforts in LNG and hydrogen for power generation, floating data centres, and technologies for carbon capture, utilisation and sequestration,” added Keppel.
Keppel Data Centres is a 70-30 joint venture between Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation (Keppel T&T) and Keppel Land, both subsidiaries of Keppel Corporation, one of Singapore’s flagship multinational companies.
For piped town gas provider, City Energy, which is the national producer and retailer of town gas in Singapore, this collaboration may significantly support its carbon reduction effort in piped town gas production or combustion.
“As the nation’s sole piped town gas provider for more than 870,000 homes and businesses, decarbonising town gas is central to City Energy’s business strategy. We look forward to collaborating with our partners in this MOU to explore a greener future for our nation, in particular in studying the feasibility of importing green hydrogen for applications in town gas manufacturing processes to further lower carbon emissions,” said City Energy.
“Our team at City-OG is pleased to support the increasing needs of its natural gas customers to reduce carbon emissions and is strongly committed to contributing to a low-carbon planet which is good for all. With its close relationships with City Energy and Daigas Group, of which Osaka Gas is an affiliate, City-OG is well positioned to share its expertise in helping its customers lower their carbon emissions,” said City Energy.
Osaka Gas Singapore said “we have announced our carbon neutral vision to be carbon neutral by 2050. Hydrogen will play a significant role in the energy transition and the development of a liquefied hydrogen supply chain is vital.”
“We would like to contribute to the success of the project by utilising our experience and know-how accumulated through our LNG value chain business, including aggregation of LNG demand. We are excited to participate in this valuable project led by Keppel with Woodside Energy, and we look forward to our collaboration to contribute and to build a sustainable hydrogen supply chain between Singapore and Australia,” added Osaka Gas.