French contractor Air Liquide has won a major contract to supply liquefaction equipment for Woodside Energy’s proposed H2OK hydrogen project in Ardmore, Oklahoma, in the US, said Upstreamonline.

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

Woodside chief executive Meg O’Neill said the contract award was a significant milestone for H2OK, for which front-end engineering and design activities are targeted to be completed this year. “We are aiming to develop our New Energy business in the United States. 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,” she said.

Woodside is targeting the final investment decision for H2OK in 2023, subject to all necessary approvals and appropriate commercial arrangements being finalised. “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,” added O’Neill.

Air Liquide has been developing expertise in the entire hydrogen chain — production, storage and distribution — for more than six decades and brings to the project its extensive experience in advancing hydrogen ecosystems and its leading liquefaction technologies that are reliable, efficient and specific to the needs of the project, noted Woodside.

The award of the liquefaction equipment contract follows the Australian operator’s selection of Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser to design and develop alkaline electrolyser equipment for H2OK. The proposed H2OK project site in Ardmore is strategically located near to national highways and the supply chain infrastructure of major transport companies, as well as being in an area well suited for hydrogen production with good availability of water and renewable energy.

Woodside intends to utilise these resources to produce liquid hydrogen for hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial and heavy transport vehicles.

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