Australia has officially launched its largest hydrogen refuelling project and the country’s first public service station to provide renewable hydrogen for commercial trucks and transport, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s transition to cleaner energy and lower emissions.
The $61.2 million Viva Energy New Energies Service Station in Corio, Geelong, was formally opened by Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio.
The project is backed by a $34 million investment from the federal government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and a $1 million contribution from the Victorian government’s Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund.
Located at the corner of Princes Highway and Station Street—one of Victoria’s key transport corridors — the station features a 2.5 megawatt onsite electrolyser.
This system converts recycled water from Barwon Water and renewable electricity into renewable hydrogen, setting a new standard for circular resource use in the energy sector.
Initially, the site will accommodate five buses and trucks refuelling daily, with plans to increase capacity to 12 to 15 vehicles per day over the next two years.
The station is engineered to refuel 10 trucks or buses consecutively in under two hours, with each average fill taking about 15 minutes and providing a range of 200 to 450 kilometres, depending on vehicle type and load.
This project is Australia’s first to combine hydrogen production and vehicle refuelling at a single site, and it also offers charging options for electric vehicles, highlighting a multi-fuel approach to decarbonising transport.
As part of the initiative, Viva Energy will deploy 15 hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles on Victorian roads within two years, servicing a range of industries.
The project is viewed as a gateway for expanding renewable hydrogen transport and supporting sectors that are traditionally challenging to decarbonise.
The state government has invested $6.6 million through the Renewable Hydrogen Commercialisation Pathways Fund to support pilots, trials, and demonstrations of renewable hydrogen in Victoria.
VIC Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said: “We are supporting our emerging renewable hydrogen sector to expand and help industries like transport reduce their emissions – helping Victoria achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.”
Member for Lara Ella George added: “This is a fantastic achievement from our governments – bringing renewable hydrogen to commercial transport for the local community in Geelong.”
