BLACK & VEATCH TO PROVIDE CONCEPT DESIGNS FOR H2EX'S NATURAL HYDROGEN, HELIUM PROJECT

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) -- Black & Veatch, a global leader in critical infrastructure solutions, will study the exploration and extraction of natural hydrogen and helium in Australia.

The development study is an engineering services agreement between Australian-owned natural hydrogen company H2EX Limited, a world leader in exploring naturally occurring hydrogen, and Black & Veatch.

According to Black & Veatch in a statement, the objective of the study is to unlock first-mover benefits for Australia within an emerging sector globally, as well as create substantial local and export opportunities while retaining the country’s competitive advantage and technical and engineering expertise.

Black & Veatch managing director, Strategic Growth, Global Advisory, Yatin Premchand said decarbonisation efforts in the Asia Pacific were a priority for the company, which include extracting natural hydrogen, a potential clean energy source for the region.

The company will provide two concept designs on H2EX’s exploration licence PEL 691 on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia as part of the development study.

One concept design will be for the drilling and completion of an exploration well, while the other will be for surface facilities to purify, process and deliver natural hydrogen and helium, including co-production of the resources, if they are found together.

Black & Veatch will also analyse gas industry practices related to conventional well drilling and extraction infrastructure and identify key considerations to adapt these practices for natural hydrogen and helium.

The research into extraction solutions will provide a pathway to drill and extract the lowest-cost hydrogen, which could be up to 75 percent more cost-effective than manufacturing hydrogen.

Estimated to complete by mid-2024, the study is partly funded by Australia’s Federal Department of Science and Innovation via its Cooperative Research Council Projects (CRC-P) Grants Round 14 initiative led by H2EX, that supports short-term, industry-led research collaborations.

-- BERNAMA