Woodside has revealed plans for a massive hydrogen and ammonia production facility called H2Perth, to be delivered with the support of the Western Australian Government.
The proposed project would be built on approximately 130ha of vacant industrial land to be leased from the state in the Kwinana Strategic Industrial Area and Rockingham Industry Zone.
The H2Perth project aims to:
- Produce low cost, low carbon hydrogen-based energy for customers
- Stimulate and enable increased renewable power generation in Western Australia
- Support State Government priorities for strategic industry creation and local manufacturing
H2Perth is a phased development that, at full potential, would be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world. It would produce up to 1500 tonnes per day (tpd) of hydrogen for export in the form of ammonia and liquid hydrogen.
As well as meeting a shared goal of hydrogen export from Western Australia in the second half of the decade, Woodside aims to support state initiatives to stimulate local hydrogen demand, particularly in the transport sector and among local heavy industry.
Local refuelling stations can be built independently of the export project timelines and could operate as early as 2023, subject to approvals and customer demand.
Woodside CEO, Meg O’Neill, said H2Perth would be a landmark project, both for Woodside and for the state of Western Australia.
“The land being leased from the State Government in the Kwinana and Rockingham areas is ideally located close to existing gas, power, water and port infrastructure, as well as a skilled local residential workforce,” Ms O’Neill said.
“These advantages will make a huge difference to cost of supply and schedule and help H2Perth deliver competitively priced hydrogen to customers.
“Building in this location is not just about hydrogen. H2Perth will also facilitate substantial growth of renewables in Western Australia by providing to the grid a flexible and stabilising load that benefits uptake of intermittent renewable electricity by households and local industry.
“H2Perth is designed to be net-zero emissions for both Woodside and its customers, supporting Woodside’s corporate emissions reduction targets and the Paris Agreement goals of customers in the region.
“We look forward to H2Perth establishing Western Australia as a global hydrogen leader, building on our state’s existing resources and capabilities and helping lead us to into a lower-carbon future.”
Woodside will now begin community engagement on the H2Perth project along with detailed progress with customers.
Subject to necessary commercial and regulatory approvals, and a final investment decision, construction is estimated to start in 2024.
