Lion Energy set to pioneer Australia’s first urban hydrogen hub at Port of Brisbane

Lion Energy (ASX: LIO) has received development approval from the Queensland government for what it believes might be the first hydrogen generation and refuelling hub in an Australian city.

The approval means the green hydrogen refuelling facility to be located at the Port of Brisbane (PoB) gives Lion the green light to proceed to the construction phase, which will commence in Q2 2024 with commissioning expected in the second half of the year.

Executive chair Tom Soulsby said Lion’s hydrogen hub is geared towards heavy mobility fleets with an early focus on supplying hydrogen to domestic public bus fleets, truck fleets and fuel cell gensets for the construction and mining industry.

First of its kind

“The approval represents the first of its kind for an integrated green hydrogen generation and distribution facility in Brisbane, and, arguably, the first of its kind in a major capital city in Australia,” Mr Soulsby said.

“The location at PoB is highly strategic due to its proximity to the majority of Brisbane[‘s] 70-plus bus depots and also the significant heavy vehicle traffic to and from the port.”

“Our site will initially produce and dispense some 420 kilograms [of] green hydrogen per day but with the ability to quickly double production to respond to increasing demand.”

Hydrogen refuelling network

Mr Soulsby added that, as the company’s first site for a proposed network of hydrogen refuelling depots across eastern Australia, the PoB project constitutes a major step in Lion’s stated hydrogen strategy.

“Lion has undertaken extensive due diligence on the site including proximity to target markets and is excited that the location can be a critical part of a broader hub and spoke/depot supply system,” he said.

Lion’s development is expected to utilise readily available renewable electricity through the procurement of large-scale generation certificates or by sourcing electricity directly from existing renewable energy suppliers.

Roof-top solar power

The company and the PoB are investigating a potential investment into solar energy supply at the port where there is substantial roof-top solar capacity.

The facility at the PoB will include all equipment required to generate and dispense green hydrogen, as well as the ability to load compressed hydrogen onto tube trailers for transportation to other sites/spokes/depots.

Lion has procured key equipment, including two electrolysers with inherent redundancy for reliable supply of green hydrogen, compressors and a dispensing package.