MELBOURNE: A Japanese-Australian venture producing hydrogen from brown coal is set to start loading its maiden cargo on the world’s first liquid hydrogen carrier on Friday, in a test delayed by nearly a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Suiso Frontier, built by Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), arrived Australia this week from Kobe, following a longer trip than the expected 16 days as the ship dodged bad weather and rough seas, said a spokesperson for the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) venture. The ship is scheduled to head back to Japan in about a week.
Led by KHI, HESC is a A$500 million ($360 million) coal-to-hydrogen project backed by Japan and Australia as a way to switch to cleaner energy and cut carbon emissions.
Hydrogen, seen as a path to decarbonizing industries that rely on coal, gas and oil, is key to Japan’s goal to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Australia aims to become a major exporter of the fuel.
The Australian government on Friday committed a further A$7.5 million for HESC’s A$184 million pre-commercialization phase, and A$20 million for testing a capture and storage project for carbon dioxide released in the coal-to-hydrogen process to create a carbon neutral product.
Last year, HESC started extracting 70 kg of hydrogen a day from brown coal in the Latrobe Valley, about 135 km (84 miles) east of Melbourne, where brown coal mines have long fueled some of Australia’s most polluting power stations.
The hydrogen is produced by reacting coal with oxygen and steam under high heat and pressure. It is then trucked to a port site where it is cooled to minus 253 degrees Celsius (minus 423 Fahrenheit), liquefying it for export.
The partners are looking to produce up to 225,000 tons of hydrogen a year.
They will need to make a final investment decision by 2025, with Australia racing against countries in the Middle East and elsewhere to produce carbon neutral hydrogen, said Jeremy Stone, a director of J-Power, one of the HESC partners.
Partners in the project include Japan’s Electric Power Development Co, Iwatani Corp, Marubeni Corp., Sumitomo Corp. and Australia’s AGL Energy Ltd., whose mine is supplying the brown coal.
World’s first hydrogen tanker to ship test cargo to Japan from Australia
https://arab.news/zfm3v
World’s first hydrogen tanker to ship test cargo to Japan from Australia
- The hydrogen is cooled to minus 253 degrees Celsius (minus 423 Fahrenheit), liquefying it for export
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes higher at 10,596
RIYADH: Saudi equities closed higher on Tuesday, with the Tadawul All Share Index rising 43.59 points, or 0.41 percent, to finish at 10,595.85, supported by broad-based buying and strength in select mid-cap stocks.
Market breadth was firmly positive, with 170 stocks advancing against 90 decliners, while trading activity saw 161.96 million shares change hands, generating a total value of SR3.39 billion.
Meanwhile, the MT30 Index closed higher, gaining 6.52 points, or 0.47 percent, to 1,399.11, while the Nomu Parallel Market Index edged marginally lower, slipping 3.33 points, or 0.01 percent, to 23,267.77.
Among the session’s top gainers, Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. surged 9.99 percent to close at SR26.20, while Saudi Cable Co. jumped 9.98 percent to SR147.70.
Cherry Trading Co. rose 4.18 percent to SR25.44, and United Carton Industries Co. advanced 4.09 percent to SR26.46.
Al Yamamah Steel Industries Co. also posted solid gains, climbing 4.07 percent to end at SR32.70.
On the downside, Emaar The Economic City led losses, slipping 3.55 percent to SR10.32, followed by Derayah REIT Fund, which fell 2.92 percent to SR5.31.
Derayah Financial Co. declined 2.13 percent to SR26.62, while United International Holding Co. retreated 1.96 percent to SR155.20, and Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. eased 1.92 percent to SR10.70.
On the announcements front, Red Sea International Co. said it signed a SR202.8 million contract with Webuild S.P.A. to provide integrated facilities management services for the Trojena project at Neom.
The agreement covers operations and maintenance for the project’s Main Camp and Spike Camp, including accommodation and housekeeping, catering, security, IT and communications, utilities, waste management, fire safety and emergency response, as well as other supporting services.
The contract runs for two years, with the financial impact expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026. Shares of Red Sea International closed up 0.99 percent at SR34.74.
Al Moammar Information Systems Co. disclosed that it received an award notification from Humain to design and build a data center dedicated to artificial intelligence technologies, with a total value exceeding 155 percent of the company’s 2024 revenue, inclusive of VAT.
The contract is expected to be formally signed in February 2026, underscoring the scale of the project and its potential impact on the company’s future revenues.
MIS shares ended the session 2.82 percent higher at SR156.70, reflecting positive investor sentiment following the announcement.
