Viva Energy leads the charge to net zero in Australia with hydrogen fuel technology

Fuelled by a rapidly changing climate, a net zero future is coming.

The Paris Agreement – an international treaty on climate change – notes that the global temperature increase must be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels to preserve a liveable planet.

How? By aiming to globally slash 45% of emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.

The energy sector – including coal, gas and oil – produces around three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Energy organisations have a key role to play in supporting energy security and an orderly transition to a low-carbon economy.

Viva Energy aims to become a net zero emissions energy business no later than 2050.

Chairman Robert Hill said Viva Energy fully supports the objectives of the Paris Agreement and is committed to their role in the energy security and infrastructure of Australia.

“We have a number of initiatives in the new energies sector to supply lower-carbon fuels to the market in the future,” he said.

“These initiatives, and our commitments to reduce our own carbon footprint, form an important part of Australia’s pathway to a lower-carbon energy system.”

Used in the first internal combustion engines over 200 years ago, hydrogen has a long history as a mobility fuel. Today, in a modern fuel cell, hydrogen acts as an energy carrier and reacts with oxygen to form electricity.

Unlike a battery, which needs recharging, a fuel cell generates its own electricity, as long as hydrogen – one of the most abundant resources on earth – is available. It’s a clean, low-noise process, with warm air and water vapour as its only by-products.

As a zero-carbon, high-energy-density alternative to diesel, hydrogen is set to play a significant role in the decarbonisation of the transport industry. Hydrogen powered electric fuel cell engines have the potential to outperform electric-powered batteries for commercial fleets. Heavy-duty vehicles need large batteries, which means lost cargo space and expensive downtime while recharging. Hydrogen powered electric trucks can refuel in minutes and can travel comparable distances to diesel vehicles.

Viva Energy is committed to supporting the evolving energy needs of our customers in the heavy transport sector, announcing a flagship New Energies Service Station project in Geelong – the most ambitious hydrogen mobility project announced nationally, to date. The New Energies Service Station

 will be equipped to dispense renewable hydrogen in commercial quantities and refuel a fleet of heavy fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) consecutively.

The project puts Victoria at the forefront of Australia’s ambitions for hydrogen as a zero emissions transport solution. Subject to regulatory approvals, the site is expected to commence commissioning in late 2023.

At Viva Energy, we recognise that our role in the energy transition is particularly important given we understand the integrated and interrelated nature of energy markets. We have longstanding relationships with our customers, which helps us to develop solutions to meet their requirements. We also understand the complexity of aligning carbon-reduction objectives in the transport sector with low carbon fuel alternatives and the evolving landscape of zero-emission technology, which are all necessary to help achieve our -- and our customers’ -- emission reduction targets.

^{The project received a grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA's Advancing Renewables Program and the Victorian Government also contributed to the project via the Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.}

^{The views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government, and the Australian Government does not accept responsibility for any information or advice contained herein.}

Learn more about Viva Energy’s commitment to future fuels

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