ATCO's $53m hydrogen plan gets green light

The regional planning body has given ATCO Australia the green light to build a $53 million green hydrogen plant in the state’s Mid-West, voting unanimously to approve the proposal.

The development application, lodged by consultancy GHD, sought approval to build a hydrogen processing plant at the existing 2,000 hectare site of Bright Energy Investments' Warradarge wind farm.

The plan involved the existing 180MW wind farm powering the 10MW hydrogen electrolyser with renewable energy to produce up to 4.3 tonnes of green hydrogen daily, which would then be blended into the state's main gas pipeline.

The hydrogen produced at the site, dubbed the Clean Energy Innovation Park, would then be stored in specialised storage units before being transported via truck to gas network injection points.

The Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel unanimously approved the proposal during a meeting this morning, after receiving the backing of the Shire of Coorow.

The project has been supported to the tune of $28.7 million by the federal government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, an agency aiming to increase supply and competitiveness of renewable energy sources.

A feasibility study into the project was also supported by the state government’s Renewable Hydrogen Fund.

A final investment decision on the project is expected in the coming months.