Hazer Process demonstration plant achieves production milestone

Hazer Group has provided an update to investors on the company’s commercial demonstration plant (CDP), confirming that a major progress milestone in the performance test program has been achieved with over 240 hours of continuous stable operation.

The current performance test campaign is further demonstrating stability and reliability of the Hazer technology. The company confirms key objectives were achieved over 240 hours (10 days) of operation with continuous production with injection of catalyst into the reactor bed, stable and reliable solids separation from product gas stream, and operational reliability with process uptime above target.

The CDP is now operating in a steady-state mode with continuous production of hydrogen and graphite. Current operation is being optimised to produce commercially representative graphite. Graphite will undergo quality verification to ensure consistency and representativeness prior to distribution to partners for large-scale testing and analysis. The CDP continues to provide long-term stable data and is undergoing performance testing with specific variables that will optimise conversion rates towards design limits.

The CDP is demonstrating Hazer’s differentiated, low-cost, clean hydrogen solution at commercial scale with the performance test program providing further confidence in the plan to declare commercial readiness in 2024. The CDP results are concurrently being used to advance four existing commercial projects with POSCO, ENGIE, Chubu Electric/Chiyoda Corporation and FortisBC as well as advance new customer projects and strategic partnership opportunities.

Accomplishment of 240 hours of operation also achieves a key operational performance milestone under the ARENA funding agreement and the release of the next tranche of funding in January 2025 unlocking non-dilutive cashflow to support our commercialisation strategy.

“I am delighted to announce this significant achievement by the company and the team. The ongoing ‘testing – modification – testing’ work by our scientists, engineers and technicians has resulted in excellent performance and demonstration of high reliability for our first-of-a-kind technology,” said Hazer CEO Glenn Corrie. “We have achieved another major milestone that enables the commercialisation of the Hazer process and supports our growth strategy globally.”

Image caption: Hazer’s CDP site in Perth, Western Australia.