Abel Energy has appointed professional services firm Worley to undertake the front-end engineering and design (FEED) of the company’s $1.7 billion (USD 1.12 billion) green hydrogen and methanol project being developed at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania. The decision was announced on Jan. 30.
Worley will work with Tasmanian engineering company Pitt and Sherry on the project with Abel saying Worley’s scope includes multi-discipline engineering, procurement and construction services to support the project through to a final investment decision.
The Bell Bay Powerfuels project is expected to deliver a 240 MW green hydrogen and green methanol production facility. The hydrogen is to be mainly used as an input for the production of 300,000 tonnes of green methanol per year for the shipping industry.
The facility is scheduled to commence production of green hydrogen by 2028 with Abel aiming to start construction next year.
Countrywide secures land for ‘hydrogen hyway’
Still in Tasmania and Countrywide Hydrogen announced it has locked in land on the northwest coast for its proposed Devonport green hydrogen production facility.
Countrywide, which is developing 5 MW green hydrogen production plants near Bell Bay and another near Hobart in the state’s south, is aiming to create an ‘end-to-end’ green hydrogen supply chain from production through to distribution at the Devonport site.
The company said the site is ideally located in close proximity to TasNetworks’ substations and transport hubs that offer multiple offtake opportunities.
The site is expected to be among the initial locations of Countrywide’s planned “Hydrogen HyWay” project that is to include hydrogen fuelling stations dotted from Tasmania’s north to the south.
CountryWide said a final investment decision on the Devonport hydrogen production facility is expected during the first half of 2024.
Council moves to make project reality
In Western Australia, Province Resources’ proposed 8 GW HyEnergy green hydrogen project has received welcome support with the local council initiating a planning amendment that would facilitate the project.
The Shire of Carnarvon has proposed a change in zoning for the town common north of Carnarvon which would deem the area appropriate for development of the HyEnergy project.
The proposed amendment covers more than 6,000 hectares of land and has been referred to the state’s planning minister before being reviewed by the Western Australian Environment Protection Authority.
Province plans to build wind and solar farms on the site to support its green hydrogen ambitions. The proposed HyEnergy project comprises up to 8 GW of co-located solar and wind energy which would be used to produce green hydrogen for domestic use and export.
The project is to be developed in two stages with the first phase to deliver up to 5 GW of wind and solar capacity with the generated electricity used to produce approximately 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Federal government formalises funding
The announcements follow the federal government’s recent commitment to invest $140 million into green hydrogen hubs in Tasmania and Queensland.
The Australian government named Edify Energy to lead the development of a hydrogen hub near Townsville in north Queensland, just days after formalising a $70 million investment to support the development of the Bell Bay Hydrogen Hub in Tasmania.
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