Rio Tinto & Sumitomo to build new hydrogen pilot plant in Gladstone

Rio Tinto and its joint venture partner Sumitomo Corporation have announced the delivery of a first-of-a-kind hydrogen plant in Gladstone, which is part of a $111.1 million program that aims to lower carbon emissions from the alumina refining process. 

The Australian Government has also shown support towards the development of the Yarwun Hydrogen Calcination Pilot Demonstration Program by co-funding $32.1 million through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). 

The program will demonstrate the viability of using hydrogen in the calcination process where hydrated alumina is heated to temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. 

“This pilot plant is an important step in testing whether hydrogen can replace natural gas in Queensland alumina refineries. 

“At Rio Tinto we have put the energy transition at the heart of our business strategy, and this is one of the ways we’re working towards decarbonising our operations. 

“We are proud to be developing this new technology here in Gladstone, in partnership with Sumitomo Corporation, and with support from ARENA,” Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific Operations Managing Director Armando Torres said. 

This project will involve the construction of a hydrogen plant at the Yarwun refinery and the retrofit of refinery processing equipment. 

Sumitomo Corporation’s subsidiary Summit Hydrogen Gladstone (SHG) will undertake the installation of a 2.5MW polymer electrolyte membrane hydrogen electrolyser and associated equipment while Rio Tinto will be responsible for the design and installation of full-scale hydrogen burners and a steam cycle loop at the Yarwun refinery. Rio Tinto will also carry out the installation of four tonnes of hydrogen storage needed to store enough hydrogen to operate the calciner for about two hours fully utilising hydrogen fuel. 

Construction is due to commence in 2024, with the hydrogen plant and calciner operational by 2025. 

“We are excited to be delivering this hydrogen project together with Rio Tinto as our long-term partner with the support of ARENA. 

“Demonstrating real-world applications of hydrogen in industrial settings with motivated partners is essential to reducing carbon emissions and working toward our company’s vision of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Through this demonstration, Sumitomo Corporation aims to venture into the commercialisation project to contribute to Rio Tinto’s decarbonisation. 

“Sumitomo Corporation is proud to be working on yet another hydrogen project in Australia and contributing to Australia’s own emission reductions goals,” Sumitomo Corporation Energy Innovation Initiative Director Seiji Kitajima said. 

Once completed, SHG will operate the electrolyser to supply approximately 125 tpa of hydrogen to Rio Tinto’s hydrogen storage, which will be used in its modified calciner. The electrolyser is expected to have a production capacity of over 250 tonnes of hydrogen a year. 

The pilot program is anticipated to produce the equivalent of around 6,000 tonnes of alumina annually, helping reduce Yarwun refinery’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 3,000 tonnes a year. 

By converting the entire plant to run on green hydrogen, it will help reduce emissions by 500,000 tonnes per year – equivalent to taking about 109,000 internal combustion engine cars off the road. 

Source: Rio Tinto; Australian Renewable Energy Agency; Reuters; Business Wire; Australian Mining