Announcement – HIF Global, 8 July 2022

HIF Global begins approval process for its first carbon neutral eFuels manufacturing facility in Australia

HIF Global, the world’s leading eFuels company, announced today that it has begun the development of Australia’s first large-scale, carbon-neutral eFuels production facility in Tasmania. HIF Asia Pacific, a wholly owned subsidiary of HIF Global, filed a Notice of Intent (NoI) with the Tasmanian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) seeking approval for the facility, which will be located in north-west Tasmania.

Cesar Norton, President and CEO of HIF Global, said, “Our global plan is to produce over 8 billion litres a year of carbon neutral eFuels – enough to decarbonise 5 million vehicles. Australia represents our third decarbonisation hub around the world. Australia has exceptional renewable energy resources that can be transformed into liquid fuels and used in existing engines. Today, we begin the first step in Tasmania to produce hydrogen from renewable energy, capture carbon dioxide from a biogenic source and produce highly competitive eFuels that will be the carbon neutral energy of tomorrow.”

HIF Asia Pacific CEO Ignacio Hernandez explained, “At full operations, the HIF Tasmania facility is expected to produce up to 100 million litres per year of carbon neutral eFuels, reducing global CO2 emissions by approximately 260,000 tons per year, the equivalent of decarbonising 52,000 cars on the road today. We expect to begin construction in 2024, prioritising local employment and technology. We look forward to working with our Australian partners as we develop this facility, which will help revolutionise the decarbonisation of global transportation.”

The HIF Tasmania Carbon Neutral eFuel Facility will be located approximately 30 km south of Burnie. With 250 megawatts of electrolyser capacity and at least 40 years of operating life, the facility design is similar to other eFuels facilities in Chile and the United States that HIF Global is preparing for construction in 2023. The HIF Tasmania facility has been designed to be emissions free, with the water for electrolysis primarily extracted from biowaste.

About eFuels

Electricity based fuels, or eFuels, are clean, carbon neutral fuels produced from renewable energy, green hydrogen and carbon dioxide taken from the atmosphere. eFuels have the same chemical properties as fossil-based fuels and, as a result, can be used as direct substitutes in existing engines and infrastructure.

About HIF Global

HIF Global is the world leading eFuels company, developing projects to convert hydrogen made using low-cost renewable power into carbon neutral liquid eFuels that can be transported and utilised in existing infrastructure. The name HIF represents the mission of the company: to provide Highly Innovative Fuels to make decarbonisation of the planet possible. HIF Chile, HIF USA, HIF Asia Pacific, and HIF EMEA are wholly owned subsidiaries of HIF Global. HIF Chile is currently constructing the Haru Oni Demonstration Facility in Magallanes, Chile.

Media release – Dr Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Safe Climate spokesperson, 11 July 2022

HIF Must Rule out Native Forest Biomass for E-Fuel Plant

HIF must rule out using native forest products to feed their proposed e-fuel plant. Biofuels are not renewable if they include lutruwita/Tasmania’s carbon bank forests.

In a climate and biodiversity crisis, trashing carbon rich ecosystems is part of the problem, not the solution.

Private companies need to be clear about the planned origin of fuels – is it crop waste, or is it native forests?

We understand HIF have been in discussions with the Burnie City Council and are planning to meet with the Premier about the project. The proponent, however, needs to be clear with the people of Tasmania about whether our island’s precious native forests play any part in its plans.

HIF and their shareholders are on notice – it’s not green energy if Tasmania’s carbon-bank native forests will be destroyed. The Earth is heating dangerously, and we cannot commence industries that require the destruction of essential carbon stores.

Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 11 July 2022

Use of native forest feedstock must be ruled out and important questions answered re HIF e-fuel proposals

A failure to outline the proposed feedstock for an e-fuel plant proposed for Surrey Hills, Tasmania has led to urgent questions over whether the facility will use native forest or annual agricultural crop waste as feedstock, because the different types of feedstock have quite different environmental impacts, including whether they are actually carbon neutral.

“Use of native forest is unacceptable. Entrenching and expanding native forest logging is an inevitable outcome if native forest feedstock is used, and that would be harmful to biodiversity and to the climate itself, ” said Peg Putt – former Greens Leader and now a coordinator of the international Biomass Working Group, which is the major international network campaigning on biomass energy.

“Our native forests are marvellous carbon stores and should be allowed to continue accumulating carbon and providing homes for our precious native species, not be logged, processed and combusted for fuel, sending carbon emissions to the atmosphere whilst annihilating the forest environment.”

The proponents must immediately outline their planned feedstock. If annual agricultural residues are used, that’s satisfactory as the carbon released will be recaptured the next year by regrowing the crop, but this is not the case for native forests. When they are used for biofuels it takes decades or centuries for the forest to recover and draw down the carbon that was released by the combustion of the fuel, and in the meanwhile, that forest carbon is in the atmosphere is adding to climate change. It’s well outside the Paris Agreement timelines for action.

“A myth of carbon neutrality has been perpetrated but is now widely acknowledged to be flawed when forests are used as feedstocks for biofuels.”

“Surely Porsche doesn’t want to be implicated in the destruction of Tasmania’s outstanding natural forests?” Ms Putt concluded.