Rio Tinto to build Gladstone hydrogen plant

Miner Rio Tinto and global trading company Sumitomo Corporation will build a pilot hydrogen plant in Gladstone, Queensland as part of a $111.1 million programme aimed at cutting emissions from the process of refining alumina.

The Yarwun Hydrogen Calcination Pilot Demonstration Program received the green light after a $32.1 million co-funding boost from the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The programme is aimed at demonstrating the viability of using hydrogen in the calcination process, where hydrated alumina is heated to temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius.

The project will see construction of a 2.5MW on-site electrolyser to supply hydrogen to the Yarwun refinery and a retrofit of one of Yarwun’s four calciners so it can operate at times with a hydrogen burner.

Sumitomo will own and operate the electrolyser which will be capable of supplying up to 250 tonnes a year of hydrogen to Rio Tinto directly.

Yarwun produces nearly three million tonnes of alumina per year, which is exported to customers in Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific region.

Rio Tinto Aluminium Pacific Operations Managing Director Armando Torres said: “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.”

The trial is expected to produce the equivalent of about 6,000 tonnes of alumina per year while reducing Yarwun’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 3,000 tonnes per year.

Converting the entire plant to green hydrogen could reduce emissions by 500,000 tonnes per year.

Sumitomo Corporation Energy Innovation Initiative Director, Seiji Kitajima said “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.”

Construction will start in 2024 with the pilot plant expected to be in operation by 2025.

Picture: Rio Tinto/Yarwun alumina refinery