Provaris Energy said the Tiwi H2 green hydrogen project is on track to commence operations in 2027 with a report by engineering consultancy CE Partners progressing the concept design of the solar farm and transmission system to a 30% level, which provides the basis for optioneering and design optimisation.
Perth-based Provaris said the report’s key findings show that the proposed 2,640-hectare solar precinct area on the Tiwi Islands off the coast of the Northern Territory (NT) has the capacity to support 2.6 GWp of solar.
It is expected the solar farm, featuring a single-axis tracking system, would be capable of generating more than 5,000 GWh of clean energy each year, which would be delivered via a proposed four-circuit, 275 kV transmission line stretching 30 kilometres from the solar farm to the hydrogen production and export precincts.
Based on the generation forecasts, Provaris has revised the expected peak green hydrogen production and export volume for the Tiwi H2 project to 90,000 tonnes per annum (tpa). The report includes a provisional allowance of about 10,000 tpa for planned optimisation processes, with the company to explore ways to reduce power losses and further evaluate equipment design and selection.
Provaris Executive Director and Chief Development Officer Garry Triglavcanin said the company is pleased with the work undertaken to date and said securing land agreements with the relevant key Tiwi Island stakeholders will be a key next step.
“Once a satisfactory outcome has been achieved, FEED and further engineering studies are planned to drive the project toward financial close, targeted for the end of 2024,” he said.
“With the support of key stakeholders, the project development program still allows for Provaris’ targeted first hydrogen production and export in late 2027.”
Provaris said the environmental impact statement is now being prepared with submission planned for early 2024 while draft project and land agreements have already been submitted to the Tiwi Land Council.
The company said it has already commenced discussions with potential joint venture partners for project development through to front-end engineering design (FEED) and a future final investment decision.
Green hydrogen produced at the Tiwi H2 Project facility is expected to be exported to the Asia-Pacific region, with a particular focus on Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China.
The progress on the Tiwi H2 project follows the announcement earlier this month that Provaris will team with Norwegian company Prodtex to construct and test a prototype tank for the transport and storage of hydrogen.
Provaris said it had awarded a contract to Prodtex to test a prototype tank for its proprietary compressed gas hydrogen carrier, H2NEO, and the floating storage solution, H2Leo.
The two parties have also entered into an agreement to jointly develop a fully automated production and fabrication facility in Norway for the construction of compressed hydrogen tanks. The tank production facility aims to start operations mid-2025.
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