Australian steelmaker BlueScope Steel has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Shell Energy Operations (Shell) to work together to develop renewable hydrogen projects at BlueScope’s Port Kembla Steelworks in the Illawarra region of Australia.
The two parties will investigate building a pilot-scale 10MW renewable hydrogen electrolyser to explore and test the use of green hydrogen in the blast furnace at BlueScope’s Port Kembla Steelworks.
BlueScope and Shell will also collaborate with other organizations to develop a hydrogen hub in the Illawarra region. This project will explore options for hydrogen supply and offtake, renewable energy supply and hydrogen and electricity infrastructure. The project will also examine the logistics infrastructure required for a commercially viable hydrogen supply chain in the Illawarra region.
According to the statement, the Illawarra’s diversity of sectors across industry, energy, transport infrastructure, minerals and mining, makes it well-placed for further collaborations to develop hydrogen technology and support the region’s decarbonization efforts.