News
Winton to lead way in renewable hydrogen refuelling, but residents concerned over increased traffic
Winton could soon be the location of an industry-leading large-scale, renewable-hydrogen production and refuelling station — the first of its kind in Australia.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The project, which is in the planning stages, will also include a new solar plant.
The plans have concerned some local residents who feel the volume of traffic could damage the small town.
However Bart Simes, general manager energy development at Lochard Energy, the company in charge of the project, has confirmed only 4km of the Winton-Glenrowan Rd will be used by trucks refuelling.
“The intent is to widen the Winton-Glenrowan Rd for about 300m at the entry of the site, allowing for a constant flow of traffic when trucks are waiting to turn in,” Mr Simes said
“One concern we’ve heard is there is no way you should be having B-doubles, B-triples or road trains going through Glenrowan. We couldn’t agree more.
“That is not the intent. The intent is for trucks to access this interchange at Winton and leave by it too.
“Whether they’re travelling north or south on the Hume, the entry access will be from that junction.”
Local resident Linda Lee said she was concerned about the fact local people had only just been informed about the project, limiting their ability to offer feedback, and has expressed concern regarding the estimated usage of between 50-150 trucks each day.
“If this hydrogen fuel is to be the future of vehicular fuel why isn't this plant going on the freeway like other fuel stations?” she said.
Mr Simes said Lochard had been developing the site for the past 18 months, including various forms of community consultation, leading up to lodging a planning application.
“We undertake a range of studies and just one of those is the road suitability. So this location has been identified for a number of reasons,” he said.
“Interfering with the Hume Fwy is extremely costly and expensive.
“The next best alternative is to find a road adjacent to it, that is suitable for heavy trailer and B-double traffic.
“And the Winton-Glenrowan Rd is classified as a B-double road.”
Mr Simes also confirmed that while the long-term plan was to allow up to 150 trucks to access the site per day, that would be several years, if not decades, down the line.
“It could be as little as a dozen or so initially,” he said.
“What’s important to know is fuel cell, heavy trucks really aren’t commercially viable in Australia at the moment.
“In this decade the plan is for single articulated trucks (to access the site).
“In the 2030s they might be able to develop the power to pull a B-double.
“But the idea of (hydrogen-powered) B-triples and road trains is still decades away.”
In terms of community consultation, Mr Simes reassured local people that there was still time to offer feedback.
“We’ve spoken to a lot of stakeholder groups and community groups across the region in the past 18 months leading up to the concept design phase,” he said.
“In order to try and reach as many people in the area as possible we did approximately 6000 leaflet letterbox drops in the region.
“There is a link on our website (www.lochardenergy.com.au/h2refuel/) where people can offer feedback.
“After the concept design is done, and that is being completed now, the process is to lodge the planning application for the solar farm and hydrogen production component.
“Once the state government is satisfied we will exhibit it for the community, but the timescale for that is out of our hands at the moment.”
The Winton H2REFUEL Project is intended to be the first in what Lochard Energy hopes will one day be a network of clean refuelling centres, across some of Australia’s busiest east-coast transport routes.
The project’s renewable hydrogen is intended to primarily displace the use of diesel as a fuel source.
It could also provide bulk hydrogen to other retail outlets and help create a network of clean refuelling options.
A key element of the proposal is that it has a proposed solar farm co-located with the hydrogen production and refuelling depot.
“What’s important is access to low-cost renewable energy and a sustainable water source, as hydrogen production uses water,” Mr Simes said.
Mr Simes confirmed the project would not use bore water.
“We are in discussions with North East Water to use recycled waste water, that is an important aspect,” he said.
“We are trying to use a sustainable water source and a sustainable form of energy to produce a sustainable fuel.”
The project has the potential to displace up to 24 million litres of diesel per annum, consequently abating approximately 65,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions each year.
Editor