GeelongPort and the Port of Rotterdam, in collaboration with the Western Australian Government, have announced plans to move forward with renewable hydrogen initiatives.
While GeelongPort plans to develop its own green hydrogen hub, the Western Australian Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Europe’s biggest port, Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, to explore renewable hydrogen export possibilities.
The MoU between Western Australia and the Port of Rotterdam establishes a long-term hydrogen partnership and explores new areas for collaboration.
The two parties will work together to investigate the renewable hydrogen export supply chain between Western Australia and the Port of Rotterdam, including production, storage, transport and the use of renewable hydrogen.
Port of Rotterdam CEO, Allard Castelein, said, “At this moment 13 per cent of the total energy demand of the European Union enters the EU via the Port of Rotterdam. This energy will gradually shift from fossil to green energy.
“We estimate that by 2050, 20 million tons of hydrogen will be handled in Rotterdam annually, of which 90 per cent will be through imports.
“The Port of Rotterdam is pro-actively trying to facilitate this shift by stimulating the development of new international supply chains of hydrogen.
“Although the distance between Australia and Europe may seem far, the excellent local conditions such as the amount of sunshine, wind, availability of space and investment climate in Western Australia can lead to a competitive hydrogen product delivered to the Northwest European market.”
Western Australian Hydrogen Industry Minister, Alannah MacTiernan, said, “We have already committed $160 million to support the development of a renewable hydrogen industry in Western Australia, including the $117.5 million announced to attract federal funding for renewable hydrogen hubs in the Pilbara and Mid-West.
“Through this MoU we will gain a better understanding of the hydrogen export supply chain between Western Australia and the Port of Rotterdam, and what we need to do to make sure the state is an exporter of choice for Europe.”
$100m Geelong Hydrogen Hub
Meanwhile, GeelongPort announced plans to expand its current operations with a $100 million investment to build the Geelong Hydrogen Hub, a production and distribution facility for green hydrogen.
GeelongPort also announced CAC-H2 as the hub’s foundation green hydrogen developer.
GeelongPort CEO, Brett Winter, said he was pleased to announce this step forward for the Geelong region and Australia’s climate change approach.
“We acknowledge that climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing communities globally, and we need to do everything we can at a local level to respond and minimise these impacts,” Mr Winter said.
“As an infrastructure asset and key regional gateway for Victoria’s supply chains, we need to be adaptive and responsive to the impacts of climate change to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of businesses and communities that rely on us so heavily.”
Development of the Geelong Hydrogen Hub will also include the ability to produce green ammonia for export into Asia to meet the growing demand in the region.
CAC-H2 Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Davies, said, “We are excited to be partnering with GeelongPort and being the first to form part of the Geelong Hydrogen Hub.”
“At CAC-H2, we are working hard to achieve net-zero emissions through the development of green hydrogen and renewable energy assets and look forward to bringing clean energy infrastructure to Geelong and Victorian communities.”
Pending regulatory approvals, the first stage of the Geelong Hydrogen Hub is expected to be operational in December 2023, creating over 50 jobs during its construction.
GeelongPort has also partnered with Startupbootcamp’s Greater Geelong Hydrogen Technology cluster and is engaging with interested parties to identify future partnership opportunities in developing the Geelong Hydrogen Hub at GeelongPort.
For more information about the Geelong Hydrogen Hub, visit engage.geelongport.com.au/geelonghydrogenhub.
