Hazer completes testing for Commercial Demonstration Plant, achieves key milestones

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Image credit: Hazer Group

Hazer Group has completed testing at its Commercial Demonstration Plant (CDP), marking a milestone in advancing its clean hydrogen technology toward commercial scale.

The latest testing campaign saw the CDP achieve over 450 hours of stable production operation, the longest continuous run in its 2024 performance program, the company said in a media release. 

The plant reported a production uptime of 99.6 per cent, reinforcing the reliability of Hazer’s proprietary process and validating its design for solids handling across multi-tonne production.

Hazer Chief Technology Officer Tim Forbes explained the broader implications of the achievement, stating, “The performance of our first-generation Hazer reactor in the CDP has provided a real-world, end-to-end demonstration of the Hazer technology, including the production of high-quality graphite. “

The CDP has now accumulated more than 1,250 hours of continuous operation. During its most recent campaign, the plant doubled its graphite inventory while consistently advancing average purity levels toward design targets. 

The high-quality graphite produced will be sent to strategic partners and potential buyers for additional testing.

Forbes noted that the graphite production results also reflect the scalability of the technology, adding, “I am very pleased with the results of the 2024 testing program data and confident these substantially de-risk large commercial scale performance, establishes a deep understanding of the technology operation, design and performance and validates the attractive economics of the technology. We remain confident in our commercialization readiness as we head into 2025.”

With the performance testing program concluded, the CDP is now transitioning to the installation of Hazer’s second-generation reactor. Designed to support hydrogen production exceeding 20,000 tonnes per year, this new reactor will undergo testing in 2025 to validate the technology’s commercial viability at scale.

Forbes emphasised the importance of this next step, saying, “We remain confident in our commercialisation readiness as we head into 2025.”

Hazer’s next steps include continuing to refine its graphite product qualifications and pursuing discussions with potential customers and strategic partners. 

The company is also updating its proprietary process model to optimise parameters for future commercial-scale projects.