PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Oil and gas major Woodside has awarded the liquefaction equipment contract at its proposed H2OK hydrogen project in Ardmore, Oklahoma, to Air Liquide Engineering and Construction.

Air Liquide will provide the engineering and fabrication of two 30 t/d liquefaction units which will liquefy hydrogen produced through electrolysis in preparation for storage, loading and transportation to customers.

Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said the contract award was a significant milestone for H2OK, for which front-end engineering design activities are targeted to be completed this year.

“We are aiming to develop our New Energy business in the US. The signing of the contract for liquefaction equipment is another important step forward in advancing H2OK, which would be our first producing hydrogen facility globally.

“Our customers are increasingly seeking out low-cost, lower-carbon sources of energy, such as hydrogen and ammonia. H2OK would produce hydrogen for use as a fuel for commercial and heavy transport, supporting customers’ chosen decarbonisation pathways,” she said.

Woodside is targeting a final investment decision for H2OK in 2023, subject to all necessary approvals and appropriate commercial arrangements being finalised.

The H2OK project involves construction of an initial 290 MW facility, which will use electrolysis to produce up to 90 t/d of liquid hydrogen for the heavy transport sector. The location  in Ardmore offers the capacity for expansion up to 550 MW and 180 t/d.

The awarding of the liquefaction equipment contract follows Woodside’s selection of Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser AS, a subsidiary of Nel ASA, to design and develop alkaline electrolyser equipment for H2OK.

In addition to H2OK, Woodside is working on proposed hydrogen projects in Australia, H2Perth and H2TAS, and was recently named the preferred partner to move forward to the development stage of the proposed Southern Green Hydrogen project in New Zealand