The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) Project’s own Hirofumi Kawazoe was put in the spotlight in the June edition of Energy Source and Distribution Magazine.
Being titled ‘Australia’s globally renowned hydrogen legend,’ the General Manager of Hydrogen Engineering Australia gave readers an in-depth look at the HESC Project.
Hirofumi shared, “Nobody in Australia was talking about hydrogen five years ago. Now lots of players are seeking opportunities for hydrogen business.”
The article does a deep dive into the technology and processes behind producing clean hydrogen from Latrobe Valley coal that will be shipped to Japan by the first liquefied hydrogen carrier —the Suiso Frontier — between October 2021 and March 2022.
In the article, Hirofumi shared how the liquefaction facility in Hastings he oversees runs with hydrogen gas going through several stages of heat exchangers, with liquefied nitrogen and cryogenic helium gas (as a refrigerant) producing cold energy to cool down the gas and produce liquefied hydrogen (LH2) at -235 degrees centigrade.
“Over the coming months, operations at each of the Latrobe Valley and Hasting’s sites will continue and the pilot will yield data and insights that feed into the pathway to commercialisation,” Hirofumi said.
In the commercial phase, the hydrogen produced by HESC will be used mainly for power generation and mobility such as hydrogen cars in Japan. However, some of the hydrogen could also be used domestically in Australia—Hirofumi says HESC is exploring a range of potential customers.
While hydrogen production is relatively new in Australia, Hirofumi says he looks forward to seeing people from the gas and mining industries applying their skills to this new energy source.
“I believe that most electricity will be generated from hydrogen in near future,” he told the magazine.
“A commercial HESC Project has the potential to create thousands of sustainable jobs in Victoria and it would create a thriving hydrogen export industry with huge local economic benefits.”