Australian green hydrogen refuelling network a step closer to reality

Australia transport operators are a step closer to being able to offer emissions-free transport between Sydney and Brisbane, with Hiringa Energy awarded a $788,000 grant by the New South Wales Government to progress plans for the country’s first green hydrogen refuelling corridor. 

The grant has been awarded under the NSW Government’s Low Carbon Product Manufacturing (LCPM) Program and will contribute to a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study to select the refuelling technology, commence planning and approvals works and establish foundation customers for the network, which is designed specifically for the needs of heavy transport vehicles. 

“This grant enables us to push forward with our plans for a green Pacific Highway, making clean transport possible between Sydney and Brisbane, both for linehaul freight and back-to-base transport," says Hiringa CEO and co-founder Andrew Clennett. 

“Around the world, we’re seeing freight customers and consumers increasingly valuing decarbonised supply chains; it’s a movement that is only growing. This is the best opportunity for Australian transport operators to meet that market need."

Clennett says Hiringa has identified three NSW sites for phase one of its Australia network, which he expects to be online in 2028, with plans for another seven refuelling stations by 2030 to connect major freight corridors between Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and the inner NSW agricultural regions.   

“This network will give transporters the opportunity to offer their customers decarbonised freight without impacting their productivity. Green hydrogen is well suited to heavy transport needs: it has ultra-fast refuelling times and hydrogen vehicles have a similar capacity to diesel equivalents. It means operators get the emissions down while keeping their productivity up,” says Hiringa Head of New Business Ryan McDonald. 

On the customer side, Hiringa has a long standing partnership with rapidly-growing freight aggregation and digital supply chain partner, Ofload. Through this partnership, Ofload's 250+ customers will have the opportunity to fully or partially offset their transport emissions through the use of green hydrogen-powered transport options. 

Hiringa will extend its existing relationship with leading truck leasing and rental company TR Group across the Tasman, with TR Group able to offer fully maintained leases on all hydrogen powered trucks for the project.  

Hiringa opened Australasia’s first green hydrogen refuelling network in New Zealand in 2024. Its four refuelling stations have together displaced more than 275,000 kgs of carbon emissions, and Hiringa is in planning to expand the network further. 

In Australia, Hiringa refuelling stations will be located on existing truck refuelling sites along the Pacific Highway, supporting the transport industry’s natural transition away from fossil fuels. Each station will be capable of generating renewable hydrogen onsite and have capacity to refuel more than 100 heavy trucks per day.

The design basis for the FEED is for ultra fast 350barg refuelling, with an upgrade pathway to 700barg. Stations will accommodate all hydrogen-powered vehicle types.  

“The price of any fuel will always be a factor for transport operators, and our plan is to leverage both the progressive policy incentives in NSW and our modular self service station design to make the price of green hydrogen very competitive. It allows us to scale the hydrogen industry quickly, and makes the case for hydrogen even more compelling,” says McDonald. 

“We’re busy now talking to customers about their Pacific Highway freight movements and decarbonisation objectives, and I’m really encouraged by the early signs. As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, industry leaders will be the ones who can demonstrate sustainability by embracing innovation, and green hydrogen is a massive opportunity to do that."