ARENA puts 15 million dollars into the Hadean pilot, which already ran 1,000 hours at BlueScope

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency, ARENA, will provide 15 million dollars to Hadean Energy for a pilot hydrogen plant in Victoria, according to ESD News on 5/11/2026. The plant is to produce up to 7 kg of hydrogen per hour and supply about 85% of the hydrogen for an annealing process at a steel facility. Hadean estimates it uses about 30% less electricity than conventional electrolysers.

The technology has a verifiable record. According to CSIRO, on 28/11/2024, the tubular solid oxide electrolysis licensed to Hadean ran for 1,000 hours at BlueScope's Port Kembla steelworks, using waste steam and less than 36 kWh of electricity per kilogram of hydrogen. The trial was framed as a step toward an industrial pilot.

The pilot exists to test the premise in a real industrial setting. If efficiency or durability fall short, the loss is absorbed by the developer, together with the public funds in the pilot. The use of waste heat also ties the advantage to sites with steam available.

A thousand hours opened the door. Continuous operation in the pilot is what will price the technology.