Toyota Australia says mining services company Thiess is set to be the first customer to take delivery of Toyota’s locally assembled EODev GEH2 hydrogen fuel cell stationary power generator.
At a ceremony marking completion of the first GEH2 generator assembled at the Toyota’s Altona site in Victoria, Toyota Australia president and chief executive Matthew Callachor announced the Thiess deal.
The 110kVA GEH2 power generator has been designed by Energy Observer Developments (EODev), a French company specialising in hydrogen solutions, with the support of Toyota Motor Europe and using the same Toyota fuel cell system that powers the Toyota Mirai FCEV.
Toyota Australia announced in October last year it was partnering with EODev to assemble the generators at Altona and make them available through its local retail partner Blue Diamond Machinery (BDM).
It will also export units to New Zealand with Toyota New Zealand acting as the distributor in that market.
“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 help drive towards a more sustainable future,” says Callachor.
“For Toyota, it’s 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 our first customer for this innovative hydrogen fuel cell generator,” he says.
“Toyota has long-standing shared history with Thiess that started when Sir Leslie Thiess imported the very first LandCruisers 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.”
Thiess Group assets, autonomy and digital executive Ramesh Liyanage says Thiess is planning to use the generator in its mining operations in New South Wales and is looking to add a second unit in the future as part of its own decarbonisation program.
“This year, 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,” he says.
Toyota has invested $3.27million in its Altona facility at to assemble up to 100 GEH2 generators during the next three years and aims to produce 28 in 2024 for customers largely in the mining, construction and events sectors.
It says the GEH2 power generator can also be used to provide emergency backup power for hospitals, commercial buildings and anywhere stable power supply is required.
The GEH2 power generator has been in production since 2021 at EODev’s manufacturing facility in France and is sold across several European markets, in North America, in the Middle East, and in Australia.
