Researchers at the Future Energy Exports Cooperative Research Center (FEnEx CRC) have conducted a study that concludes that liquefied natural gas (LNG) and its infrastructure could serve as an accelerator for the global hydrogen economy.
Researchers made the finding in a peer-reviewed study published in the prestigious International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. Speaking at the Australian Hydrogen Research Conference in Canberra, FEnEx CRC CEO Professor Eric May said the study has shown that a viable and profitable hydrogen export business from Australia to Japan could be achieved quickly by leveraging the experience and infrastructure of the established LNG sector. .
Professor May said LNG is a vital energy source across Asia and the world, but is much less recognized for its potential to accelerate the development of commercial-scale hydrogen. “Right now, the world is working towards Net Zero by 2050 and there is no doubt that hydrogen can play a critical role as we look for low-carbon energy sources,” he said.
“The cost-effective production and delivery of ‘green’ hydrogen developed from renewable sources is an ultimate goal, but we currently have a number of significant technical and cost barriers that need to be resolved before this is feasible.
“Our researchers show that using LNG and existing technologies can quickly establish a supply chain to deliver what is often called ‘blue’ hydrogen to Japan from Australia within the cost target set by the Government of Japan (GOJ) and with a CO2 emission intensity below the proposed targets,” May said.
The paper explored how hydrogen could be produced from LNG shipped to Japan at a cost of US$2.3/kg which met the GOJ’s 2030 target of US$3/kg. The paper also stated that by using existing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, hydrogen produced from LNG could meet hydrogen emission intensity targets.
“What we can see is that a complete hydrogen supply chain involving LNG exports to Japan, converting it to hydrogen and then liquefying and repatriating the by-product CO2 to Australia for sequestration or utilization is economically and technically achievable Professor May said.
Professor May said a major benefit of developing an LNG-based hydrogen export supply chain meant the world could begin to break down barriers to hydrogen adoption and also enable researchers and “learn by doing” companies.
He said he hoped the paper would stimulate debate between governments and industry on the use of LNG as a viable hydrogen export option until other options in the hydrogen supply chain (such as liquid hydrogen or ammonia) are competitive.
He also believed that the paper should accelerate the debate on how CCS should be considered as a vital tool in the energy transition.
Professor May said the ground-breaking study was the result of a great deal of collaborative research by scientists and engineers at the University of Western Australia and the Curtin University team that included Saif Al Ghafri, Caitlin Revell, Mauricio Di Lorenzo, Gongkui Xiao, Craig E. Buckley, and Michael Johns.
To contact the author, please email andreson.n.paul@gmail.com
