Article by Adam Duckett
A CONSORTIUM has outlined proposals to create a ‘hydrogen valley’ in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales in Australia, that would help pioneer clean energy and feedstocks in place of the region’s coal industry.
Beginning next year, stage one of the Hunter Hydrogen Network project would involve repurposing the Muswellbrook coal mine. The project would build an electrolyser at the site that would be powered by wind and solar. It would begin to produce hydrogen by the end of 2024 for use as feedstock and to power mining activities and vehicles in the Upper Hunter Valley region. This would involve building a pipeline to transport the hydrogen south to Liddell, home to AGL’s coal-fired power plant.
In Australia, on behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced that it has conditionally approved A$103.3 million towards three commercial-scale renewable hydrogen projects, as part of its Renewable Hydrogen Deployment Funding Round.
The three successful projects are:
• Engie Renewables Australia Pty Ltd (Engie): ARENA will provide up to A$42.5 million towards a 10 MW electrolyzer project to produce renewable hydrogen in a consortium with Yara Pilbara Fertilizers at the existing ammonia facility in Karratha, Western Australia;
• ATCO Australia Pty Ltd (ATCO): ARENA will provide up to A$28.7 million towards a 10 MW electrolyzer for gas blending at ATCO’s Clean Energy Innovation Park in Warradarge, Western Australia;
APA, Woodside drop WA hydrogen project
May 10, 2021 – 5.16pm
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Gas pipeline giant APA Group and partner Woodside Petroleum have ditched their proposed renewable hydrogen project in Western Australia after they failed to win government support in the latest funding round, while the successful applicants race towards development.
APA and Woodside pitched for funds from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for a proposed project in WA’s Central West, powered by APA’s Badgingarra wind and solar farm. They are, however, understood to have already backed away from the project before the news last week of the successful bids.
The plan was to produce green hydrogen for use in power generation, transport and industrial applications, and with longer-term options to deliver it by pipeline to Perth.
5 May 2021
The nascent Australian green hydrogen industry has received a major boost, with three 10MW electrolyser projects to share in more than $103 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
ARENA has selected the three projects -from more than 30 applications – to produce and supply green hydrogen for a mix of uses, including fertiliser production and blending in mains gas supplies.
It will see a total of $161 million invested across the three projects in some of Australia’s first commercial-scale green hydrogen production facilities.
Engie Renewables will build a 10MW electrolyser in Karratha in Western Australia, as part of a consortium with Yara Pilbara Fertilisers, with the help of a $42.5 million grant. As we reported in April, the project will be paired with an on-site solar farm to produce green hydrogen, which will be used in ammonia production, with the facility expected to commence production in 2023. The project is expected to produ
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Australia backs world-leading clean hydrogen projects
Australia’s future clean hydrogen industry has been given another significant boost after the Morrison Government approved three large-scale hydrogen plants in Western Australia and Victoria that will be among the biggest in the world.
Three companies have been awarded more than $100 million in conditional funding by the Government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) Renewable Hydrogen Deployment Funding Round.
The Government initially announced funding of up to $70 million was available under the program, but this has been increased to up to $103.3 million to fund three projects selected from a strong field of shortlisted applicants.