Ports of Auckland plans hydrogen fuel plant to power forklifts and cars
Monday, 3 December 2018
Ports of Auckland plans to build the city's first hydrogen fuel production plant on its waterfront land over the next year.
The carbon-free fuel it produces will initially be used for hydrogen-powered forklifts and cars, and possibly a bus to be trialled on Auckland routes.
The project partners are Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, and KiwiRail, which is watching global trials of hydrogen-powered trains.
The plant will be the size of a small service station, converting water and electricity into emission-free hydrogen.
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'We have an ambitious target to be a zero emission port by 2040,' Ports of Auckland's chief executive Tony Gibson said.
'Hydrogen could be the solution for us as it can be produced and stored on site, allows rapid refuelling, and provides greater range than batteries.
'Trucks, trains and ferries could also run on hydrogen – something which is already being done overseas – which would be a significant benefit for the community. Hydrogen powered vehicles are quieter and emit nothing more than clean water.'
The company said 10 to 15 litres of water can produce 1kg of hydrogen, enough to drive a small car 100km.
Ken Shirley, the chief executive of the Road Transport Forum, said while no trucks yet run on hydrogen in this country, it was being used commercially in the United States.
'We have to look to the future – the de-carbonisation of transport is a global issue,' he told Stuff.
In Auckland, the four partners in the port plant all have plans that could involve hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Auckland Transport will seek funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) as part of the project to buy a hydrogen-powered bus.
'This could be part of the answer for our fleet of buses and harbour ferries. The idea of a vehicle which only produces water as a by-product is very exciting,' Auckland Transport chief executive Shane Ellison.
'Just weeks ago, two hydrogen-powered trains with a range of 1000km per tank began operating commercial services in Germany,' KiwiRail's acting chief executive Todd Moyle said.
'Joining forces with Ports of Auckland in this project will allow us to explore how KiwiRail could use this new technology as we deliver stronger connections for New Zealand.'
All four partners said the pilot plant fitted their own commitments to lower emissions. KiwiRail wants to be carbon neutral by 2050, and Auckland Council is part of the Climate Leaders Coalition and working on its own action plan.
While battery power has become the clean fuel for many light vehicles such as cars and vans, it is less used in heavy vehicles.
The council's chief sustainability officer John Mauro said it was too early to tell how significant the hydrogen trial might be.
'I would suspect if it wasn't even slightly promising we wouldn't go down this path,' Mauro told Stuff.
'This is in a basket of opportunities in new technological developments that we should look at – in some ways, we don't have to pick a winner here,' he said.
'We've been saying let's keep it real and fundable and not too far out there, we want to be pragmatic – can this work? Can we test it at a small scale?'
There have been several hydrogen-based initiatives unveiled around the country in recent months.
At the end of November, Pouakai NZ, a wholly-owned subsidiary of US company 8 Rivers, announced it was moving forward with a proposal which would use natural gas to create hydrogen and electricity in Taranaki, as well as urea fertiliser for domestic use and export, without any release of greenhouse gases.
The company said it would cost up to $4 billion and represented the largest-ever inward investment in New Zealand.
Freight operator TIL Logistics Group and New Plymouth-based Hiringa Energy signed a memorandum of understanding to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology transport solutions.
The project could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the truck company's national fleet of 900 trucks, 310 forklifts and 170 light vehicles, TIL chief executive Alan Pearson said.
The port company hopes to lodge a resource consent for the plant in early 2019.