1 June 2022
The South Australian Government congratulates Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) on a successful first year of operation at Hydrogen Park SA (HyP SA), and its plans to increase its supply of renewable hydrogen gas to thousands of new customers.
Located at the Tonsley Innovation District, HyP SA is an Australian first project and one of only a few projects in the world to supply a renewable gas blend to homes connected to an existing gas network.
The facility currently supplies more than 700 homes in Mitchell Park with a blended gas made of 5% renewable hydrogen which is made on site at Tonsley.
The $14.5 million facility is Australia’s largest renewable hydrogen facility at 1.25 megawatts and received a $4.9 million grant from the South Australian Government’s Renewable Technology Fund.
First production was achieved at HyP SA as part of commissioning activities in late 2020, before being officially opened in May 2021.
The pioneering project is the first step towards decarbonising Australia’s gas supply and contributes to the development of South Australia’s hydrogen industry through innovation, workforce development, knowledge sharing and education.
Included in its first year of success is the development of tube trailer refilling infrastructure, enabling the transportation of hydrogen across the state for use by industrial customers.
The HyP SA project significantly contributes its research and data to The Australian Hydrogen Centre.
The Centre brings together industry and government to share learnings and deliver feasibility studies on the blending 10% renewable hydrogen into Australian towns, cities, and states, and ultimately a 100% renewable hydrogen gas supply in the future.
At the Australian Hydrogen Conference in Adelaide today, AGIG Chief Executive Officer Craig de Laine announced the company’s plans to expand its supply of renewable hydrogen at the HyP SA site to deliver blended renewable gas to around three thousand additional customers. The expansion is subject to regulatory approvals and AGIG expects to commence implementation of the expanded services as soon as possible once approved.
South Australian government is investing $593 million through its Hydrogen Jobs Plan along with $100 million in state and Commonwealth Government funding for the development of Port Bonython as a hydrogen hub, a combined investment of almost $700 million.
Renewable hydrogen will play an important role in helping South Australia achieve its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Quotes attributed to AGIG Chief Executive Officer Craig de Laine
“HyP SA is an Australian first and one of only a few projects in the world to deliver a renewable gas blend to homes connected to an existing gas network.
“Its operations have provided critical learnings to establish a new standard for our low carbon strategy. It has upskilled professionals, engineers, tradespeople, and first responders throughout the energy industry as well as our partners in the South Australian Government.
“We are investing in the long-term interests of our customers and the environment. Our ambitions are to deliver 10% renewable gas across our existing distribution networks, and we have a target of 100% renewable gas conversion by 2040 as a stretch, and no later than 2050.
“Importantly, the customer response has been overwhelmingly positive with customers paying no more to receive Australia’s lowest carbon gas through an existing network, and a heightened awareness of renewable gas and its potential.”
