ENEOS Corporation has built a large hydrogen carrier demonstration plant in Queensland, Australia, using its original low-cost electrochemical synthesis of organic hydride method – Direct MCH. The opening ceremony was held on October 6, 2026.
After trial operations, demonstration operations are scheduled to start in January 2027.
The demonstration project aims to acquire the technical knowledge needed to commercialize Direct MCH technology, supporting future large-scale development of green hydrogen supply chains. Green hydrogen, produced from renewable energy, is projected to play an important part in establishing a carbon-neutral society. But cutting production and transportation costs is still a big hurdle. ENEOS aims to achieve reduction of the total cost of the green hydrogen supply chain by adopting Direct MCH technology that enables direct single-step synthesis of MCH. Furthermore, demonstration operations will be performed in Australia, one of the leading regions in the world for renewable energy production, in an effort to identify and address technical challenges associated with the plant operation at an early stage.
ENEOS has been steadily advancing the development of Direct MCH® technology and has now developed a 1.2 MW class electrolyzer, which is the minimum unit size for commercial use. The Large hydrogen carrier demonstration plant will include an electrolyzer roughly eight times the size of the unit used in an earlier pilot in 2023 and will be designed for a maximum production capacity of 9 tonnes of MCH a day. Operations for the demonstration are expected to continue for some two years. Through demonstration operations, ENEOS will evaluate performance, degradation behavior, and other operational characteristics and collect data required for commercialization.
Based on the information gathered from this demonstration project, ENEOS will endeavor to commercialize and deploy the technology, taking full account of technological progress, economic viability, and market conditions.
In accordance with its long-term vision, the ENEOS Group is striving to achieve both a consistent supply of energy and materials and the realization of a carbon-neutral society. ENEOS will keep pushing forward with the development and demonstration of next-generation energy solutions, incorporating technologies for green hydrogen supply chains, and look for opportunities for their commercially viable deployment going forward.