South Australia’s first large-scale clean hydrogen production precinct, the Port Bonython Hydrogen Hub, has taken a major step towards realisation with five companies signing development agreements to use the facility being developed near Whyalla.
Origin, Fortescue and Amp Energy have signed on as project partners along with green hydrogen specialist The Hydrogen Utility (H2U) and oil and gas giant Santos.
The planned Port Bonython hub – which is separate from the state government’s hydrogen jobs plan, and a $593 million (USD 388 million) hydrogen production facility and power station planned for the region – will serve as a common-user facility for the production and export of clean hydrogen.
The site is central to multiple renewable energy zones and has more than 2,000 hectares of available land as well as access to an existing deepwater port with a 2.4-kilometre-long jetty.
State government estimates suggest the hub, an integral part of South Australia’s first-mover strategy to enter the global hydrogen market, could host projects worth about $13 billion and could generate up to 1.8 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030.
South Australian Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the project partners have identified the state’s potential as a world-class hydrogen supplier and share its vision for the hub, which is forecast to deliver up to 6.5 GW of renewable energy development to feed up to 2.5 GW of electrolyser capacity.
“The Port Bonython Hydrogen Hub will enable South Australia to export green products made using renewable energy offshore while creating hundreds of jobs in our regions,” he said.
Koutsantonis said the state will continue to collaborate with the project partners to define requirements for common-use facilities, noting that infrastructure development at the hub is already progressing through master planning. The new improved common-user facilities will include export infrastructure, electricity transmission and water supply.
The companies are yet to release final details of their proposed hydrogen projects but are continuing to progress feasibility studies and early design works, with the development agreements providing a clear pathway for them to secure a long-term lease on land at Port Bonython.
Amp Energy President and co-founder Paul Ezekiel said the Port Bonython Hydrogen Hub is an integral part of the company’s South Australian hydrogen portfolio that includes the Cape Hardy green hydrogen project that will initially comprise 1 GW of electrolyser capacity.
“Amp’s development of transmission-connected green hydrogen and ammonia production facilities at these two strategic sites in South Australia is critical to our continued global growth and long-term strategy,” he said.
Australian company H2U’s plans for the hub centre around its proposed Eyre Peninsula Gateway Hydrogen Project which will entail the installation of a 75 MW electrolyser while Fortescue said it is in the early scoping phase of its proposed Integrated Port Bonython Hydrogen project.
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