Construction of a $117.5 million 15MW hydrogen electrolyser power plant is set to go underway near Port Lincoln in South Australia.
Hydrogen Utility™ (H2U), a hydrogen infrastructure company, together with electrolysis and ammonia specialist thyssenkrupp will be delivering the project.
“South Australia is at the global forefront of a broad range of storage technology, from big batteries, to virtual power plants to pumped hydro – now we will also be home to one of the largest hydrogen production facilities in the world as well.
“H2U and thyssenkrup are at the cutting edge of the development of hydrogen production and fuel cell technology, and the fact that they have chosen South Australia for the development of this project speaks volumes for our State,” Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said.
A $4.7 million grant as well as a $7.5 million loan from the State Government’s Renewable Technology Fund have been invested to assist the development of the project.
This development will be integrating a portfolio of innovative hydrogen technologies which includes a 15MW electrolyser power plant, a distributed ammonia production facility as well as a 10MW hydrogen-fired gas turbine and 5MW hydrogen fuel cell. Both the hydrogen-fired gas turbine and hydrogen fuel cell will be utilised to supply power to the grid.
“It will provide balancing services to the national transmission grid, fast frequency response support to new solar plants under development in the Eyre Peninsula, supply green ammonia and other chemicals to the local farming and aquaculture sectors, and host the demonstration, at scale, of novel supply chain technologies for the export of green hydrogen from Australia to markets in the Asia-Pacific region,” H2U CEO Dr Attilio Pigneri said.
The power plant is set to be the largest green hydrogen production facilities to be known worldwide, and it will be one of the first ever commercial facilities that will produce distributed ammonia from intermittent renewable resources which can be utilised as an industrial fertiliser.
The project is expected to support up to 60 jobs – including 30 construction and 30 ongoing jobs.
“We are very excited to be selected by H2U to support their development of this opportunity and to help Australia on its way forward into a sustainable future.
“We can build our local footprint and long heritage as a partner to Australia. Our technology portfolio focusing on sustainable solutions and our project optimization experience enables us to contribute to all stages of implementation of green hydrogen and its further uses,” thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia) CEO Andrew Howie said.
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Source: Premier of South Australia, InDaily, RenewEconomy