Woodside starts FEED for Oklahoma hydrogen project

H2OK is a liquid hydrogen production facility proposed for the Westport Industrial Park in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Woodside has secured a lease and option to purchase 94 acres (38 hectares) of vacant land there and has completed preliminary design of the modular, scalable production facility.

Phase 1 involves construction of an initial 290MW facility, producing up to 90 tonnes per day of liquid hydrogen through electrolysis, targeting the heavy transport sector. The location offers the capacity for expansion up to 550MW and 180 tonnes per day.

Woodside is targeting a final investment decision on H2OK in the second half of 2022, and first liquid hydrogen production in 2025.

The proposed H2OK facility is located in a strategic transport and supply chain corridor with potential for customers to adopt hydrogen for a range of uses including heavy-duty trucks, warehouse forklifts, heavy-duty equipment, ground support equipment and fuel cell microgrids for warehouses and datacentres.

Woodside intends for H2OK to be a net-zero project. Power will be sourced from Oklahoma’s existing network, a large portion of which is wind-powered, and Renewable Energy Certificates will be used to abate any remaining emissions.

Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said that new energy projects like H2OK have the potential to create significant value for shareholders as Woodside looks to diversify product offerings to customers in support of their decarbonisation goals. “Coupled with our recently announced target to invest US$5 billion in new energy products and lower carbon services by 2030, this FEED entry supports Woodside’s strategy to thrive through the energy transition,” she said.

Woodside is also taking a proactive role in developing the USA and Australian hydrogen markets, entering an MOU with Hyzon Motors, a New York-based supplier of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial and heavy transport vehicles. Woodside and Hyzon intend to explore opportunities to work together on demand stimulation, supply and infrastructure solutions, and coordinated advocacy.

Woodside has already announced plans to develop phased hydrogen and ammonia production projects in Australia – in Perth (H2Perth) and inn northern Tasmania (H2TAS) – to supply both Australian and international markets, leveraging capabilities built over decades of reliable and affordable LNG production and supply.

In December 2021, Woodside, Keppel Data Centres, City Energy, Osaka Gas Singapore and City-OG Gas Energy Services signed a Memorandum of Understanding to study the feasibility of a long-term, stable supply chain of sustainable liquid hydrogen from Western Australia to Singapore and potentially Japan. The agreement followed the announcement of the proposed H2Perth Hydrogen facility in Kwinana where Woodside will seek to establish a large-scale liquid hydrogen and ammonia export hub.