Set to reach FID in 2027, the WGEH project will seek to utilise local wind & solar resources and policy incentives in Western Australia to deliver up to 20 million tonnes of renewable ammonia annually. Korea Electric Power Corporation has agreed to jointly develop the project.
While the opportunity for Australia to become a world-leading exporter of green molecules is well-established, State of Hydrogen 2022 suggests the best progress to date has been made on a domestic opportunity: decarbonisation of existing ammonia production within Australia. Government support for emerging hydrogen hubs, workforce training and regulatory updates are highlighted as key next steps.
ATCO Australia’s ScaleH2 ammonia export project in NSW will receive funding from both the Australian and German governments. Feasibility work will begin on the 800,000 tonnes-per-year ammonia plant, also being developed by NSW Powerfuels. The announcement comes as the two-year HySupply project released its final report, and a new government-level MoU was signed to develop an export supply chain from Australia to Rotterdam.
Johnson Matthey and Doosan Enerbility will develop hydrogen-fueled, closed cycle gas turbine power plants in South Korea. Johnson Matthey will provide cracking technology and catalysts to convert ammonia into pure hydrogen fuel, while Doosan is currently developing a 380 MW, 100% hydrogen fed gas turbine, which will reportedly be complete by 2027. The two will work together to integrate cracking & CCGT technologies, potentially providing a blueprint for similar power plants in the future.
Korea Zinc, Hanwha Impact, SK Gas and Australia-based Ark Energy will work together to build a million-tonne-per-year renewable ammonia supply chain between Korea and Australia by 2032. Ark Energy’s renewable energy portfolio in Queensland will be leveraged for ammonia production, with the three South Korean organisations acting as offtakers. The announcement comes as the Qld state government launches an ambitious new energy plan, which will support the addition of 20-plus GW of renewable energy generation to Qld’s grid.
Concrete steps are being taken on ammonia and ammonia-related policy in Australia. In late 2021, the New South Wales state government launched its Hydrogen Strategy, adding to the list of state-based strategies announced around the country. There is also a high level of industry interest within NSW to develop significant hydrogen (and ammonia) hubs, and renewable energy generation. Federally, all eyes are on the Clean Energy Regulator as they develop the Guarantee of Origin certification scheme, which is soon to begin looking at low and zero-carbon ammonia production. To explore how these policy pieces are coming together, we welcome Matt Baumgurtel (Hamilton Locke), Michael Probert (NSW OECC), Cameron Mathie (CER), Dane Halstead (FFI) and panel chair Andrea Valentini (Argus Media). We also welcome Argus Media as Ruby Sponsors of this year’s conference. Join us in-person or online at 9AM on Thursday 25 August to learn more.
At this year’s Australia conference, we recognise that interest in Australian ammonia is on the rise. At previous conferences we’ve witnessed the strengthening of ties between Australia, Japan and South Korea, and this year we see a new player emerge. The EU’s growing ambitions have catapulted it into the ammonia conversation, and the nascent of an Australia-Europe ammonia supply chain is quickly developing. To give our audience the EU-perspective, we welcome a terrific virtual panel beaming in live from the Netherlands, Germany and Italy: Jill Thesen (Federation of German Industries), Martijn Coopman (Port of Rotterdam), Anna Fedeles (Austrade) and Anna Freeman (Clean Energy Council). Join us in-person or online, and make sure to register by the end of this week (Friday 29 July) to secure the early-bird rate.
This year marks the fourth edition of our annual Australia conference, and we begin our event with a challenging topic - for good reason. As momentum grows, so do the stakes. The opportunity for hydrogen & ammonia in Australia is unparalleled, but establishing a world-leading industry requires many, many pieces to come together. To explore the challenges immediately ahead, we’ve brought together three familiar faces with a wealth of experience: Paul Hodgson (Scaling Green Hydrogen CRC), Alana Barlow (Sumitomo Australia) and Laurentiu Zamfirescu (Principal Safety and Risk Engineer, AMOG Consulting). Join us in-person or online, and make sure to register by the end of this week (Friday 29 July) to secure the early-bird rate.
Schedule & speakers (Australia 2022) Welcome & conference introduction (8:45AM Wed 24 August) Immediate roadblocks for the growing industry (9AM AEST, Wed 24 August) Alana Barlow National Hydrogen Commercialisation Manager, Sumitomo Australia Immediate Roadblocks for our Growing Industry: An International Perspective Paul Hodgson Interim Chief Executive Officer, Scaling Green Hydrogen Cooperative Research Centre We’re as […]
In three green maritime corridor announcements this week: