Australia’s largest liquid hydrogen plant at a mine site is now operational at Fortescue’s Green Energy Hub at Christmas Creek in Western Australia, according to Fabrum, a company that played a significant role in delivering an end-to-end liquid hydrogen ecosystem for the plant.

New Zealand-based Fabrum collaborated on the design, build and commissioning of the liquid hydrogen plant at Christmas Creek, which comprises a hydrogen liquefaction facility, liquid hydrogen storage and a liquid hydrogen refuelling station. Liquid hydrogen from the plant will be used to power Fortescue’s zero-emissions mining equipment prototypes including its offboard power unit and its hydrogen-powered haul truck prototype (the hydrogen-powered T 264 haul truck prototype that arrived this month). The liquid hydrogen plant can produce circa-350 kg of liquid hydrogen per day and has circa-600 kg of storage.

Christopher Boyle, Fabrum’s Executive Chair, said: “We’re delighted to be developing world-leading hydrogen technologies for our partner, Fortescue, to help the company achieve its decarbonisation goals. While others in the industry might see the decarbonisation challenge as too big, Fortescue is leading the way in adopting new technologies to enable a zero-emissions economy. Together, we’re demonstrating the future is here now – and that our liquid hydrogen production and refuelling technologies can enable industry to power operations and transport today.”

Dino Otranto, Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer, said: “Fortescue is moving at rapid speed to decarbonise and the completion of our hydrogen facility, which is the largest gaseous and liquid hydrogen plant on any mine site in Australia, is testament to our commitment to leading heavy industry in decarbonising. Hydrogen and fuels made using renewable energy will have a role to play in decarbonising mining, whether it’s in buses, heavy mining equipment such as haul trucks and excavators, or producing green iron.

“This renewable hydrogen plant is versatile, enabling us to produce gaseous and liquid hydrogen to be used to power our mining equipment prototypes, while also providing the added benefit of refuelling our fleet of coaches at Christmas Creek.”

Dr Ojas Mahapatra, Chief Executive Officer of Fabrum, added: “This is the first project we’ve collaborated on with Fortescue, an investor in Fabrum, and it highlights the great opportunities we see to help each other be successful in the future. This project also represents our entry into the mining and minerals industry to add to our work in heavy transport, aviation and other industries. It’s an exciting time for Fabrum as we continue to grow rapidly to meet increasing global demand for hydrogen production systems and other technologies.”