Toyota Australia has announced that it will deliver its first Energy Observer Development (EODev) GEH2 hydrogen fuel cell stationary power generator to mining service company Thiess.
Toyota Australia president and CEO Matthew Callachor made the announcement at a ceremony celebrating the completion of its first GEH2 generator assembled at the company Altona site in Victoria.
The generator was designed by French hydrogen solutions company EODev with the support of Toyota Motor Europe and uses the same fuel cell system that powers Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).
EODev and Toyota first partnered in October 2023 to assemble the generators in Altona and make them available through local retail partner Blue Diamond Machinery. Toyota says it will also export the units through its NZ branch.
Callachor says he was proud to see the completion of the first unit assembled at Altona and welcomed Thiess as the first customer to purchase it.
“This is a great day for us at Toyota and all of our like-minded partners that have brought this important project to fruition as we aim to drive towards a more sustainable future,” Callachor says.
“For Toyota, the generator is part of our multi-pathway approach to decarbonisation by providing Australian customers with a range of technologies and mobility solutions, including power generation, that help reduce carbon emissions.
“We are firmly committed to growing and investing in the hydrogen economy here in Australia and I’m particularly pleased that Thiess is set to become the first customer for this innovative hydrogen fuel cell generator.”
Callachor says Toyota has a shared history with Thiess since the mining company imported the first Land Cruisers into Australia to work on the Snowy Hydro Scheme in 1958.
“Thiess then gained the Queensland and other state distribution rights from our parent company in Japan and was instrumental in building our brand here, particularly in rural and regional Australia,” Callachor says.
“Now, we are working together again in a new era as we collectively aim to build a better future for all Australians.”
Thiess assets, autonomy and digital group executive Ramesh Liyanage says Thiess is planning to use the generator in its New South Wales mining operations and is looking into adding a second unit in the future.
“As Thiess celebrates 90 years of operations, we are well-progressed in our journey to reduce carbon emissions from our operations, and we are determined to make a meaningful contribution towards decarbonising the world’s resources sector,” Liyanage says.
“We’re pleased at the prospect of being the first customer to take the locally assembled hydrogen fuel cell generator unit and are excited to be partnering with Toyota once again, this time on technology that has the power to shape a more sustainable future for the world.”