International renewables giant Engie and Yara Pilbara Fertilisers have announced plans for a solar-powered hydrogen electrolyser plant in Western Australia, which will be used to produce green ammonia.
The project in the Pilbara region of the state will initially include an 18 MW solar farm and 10 MW electrolyser plant, with the potential to grow to a 100 MW solar operation and 66 MW in the electrolysis system.
The joint project has already received $995,000 in funding from Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for a feasability study, and a submission has been lodged with the state’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). It is estimated that the plant will generate around 640 tons of renewable power annually.
Engie chief executive officer Michèle Azalbert said that hydrogen was the future of green energy here in Australia and around the world.
“Engie is investing in clean hydrogen in the belief that it is likely to become a key component in clean energy networks, as it can store energy in large quantities over long periods of time and across great distances. Hydrogen can make the sun shine at night,” she said1.
Pending EPA approval, the operation will be constructed 11km north-west of Karratha.
What is green ammonia?
Ammonia is a strong-smelling gas that has been used primarily in agriculture as a fertiliser for many years. The process involved in making this fertiliser is not environmentally friendly, resulting in large volumes of carbon spilling into the atmosphere.
Green ammonia is the same product, but it is created using hydrogen to decarbonise the process and make it environmentally friendly. As hydrogen can be created using renewable sources, there are low to almost zero emissions throughout the entire chain.
The fertiliser made from this is essential for agriculture, and is used in over half of the world’s food production, making it a $70 billion industry. Now, it has been discovered that it also has enormous energy-carrying qualities – with nine times the density of Li-ion batteries.
This has enormous potential and could be used for long duration renewable storage, as a transport cell for vehicles using fuel cells, and as an industrial power source – all while limiting emissions across agriculture operations all over the world.
Australia ups the ante in production of these renewables
Our country has emerged as a potential leader in these industries due to the sheer space we have available.
Origin Energy has already announced plans for a 500-megawatt green ammonia plant at Bell Bay Tasmania, and has signed an agreement with leading South Korean manufacturer Posco to export hydrogen that will be used in the production of green steel.
The PRL HyEnergy Renewable Zero Carbon Hydrogen Project in Western Australia is also set to double in size after a request was put in for more land for the project.
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- ENGIE Australia & New Zealand and Yara take green hydrogen into the factory
https://engie.com.au/news/engie-and-yara/
