The Clean Energy Council welcomes today’s announcement of the first recipient from the Australian Government’s Hydrogen Headstart program with $814 million in funding allocated to the 1500 MW Murchison Green Hydrogen Project in Western Australia, for the development of a major new renewable ammonia export facility.
Clean Energy Council General Manager – Advocacy & Investment, Anna Freeman, said the Australian Government is putting its money where its mouth is, by working to seed the next major growth industries for our modern economy.
“You’ve got to be in it to win it. Australia is not a major producer of ammonia today, but it could be, leveraging its competitive advantage in clean energy to produce ‘green ammonia’,” Ms Freeman said.
A globally competitive hydrogen sector can enable Australia to scale up major new export industries in clean fuels, such as ammonia, and green metals, which in turn will support long-term regional economic growth and jobs.Anna Freeman Clean Energy Council General Manager - Advocacy & Investment
“The design of Hydrogen Headstart, which provides a credit for hydrogen produced over a ten year operating period, is smart and efficient because the project only receives financial support if it goes ahead and ultimately produces green hydrogen,” she said.
Ammonia – a chemical compound made from hydrogen and nitrogen – is a major globally traded commodity which is widely used in the production of fertilisers, critical to the agriculture sector. It also has significant future potential as a clean fuel for use in heavy transportation and other industries.
The overwhelming majority of hydrogen used in the production of ammonia today is made from fossil-based gas. Green ammonia swaps fossil-fuel based hydrogen for green hydrogen, which is instead made by using electricity from renewable sources, like solar or wind power, to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through a process called electrolysis.
“Hydrogen projects of this scale are very complex, and many steps remain in the development process, but this is a shot in the arm for Australia’s nascent green hydrogen sector and we congratulate Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners on this major milestone,” she said.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Liam Straughan
Clean Energy Council Media Officer
+61 409 470 683