The Western Australian Government will invest an additional $61.5 million to supercharge Western Australia’s growing renewable hydrogen industry.
A new $50 million fund, included in the 2021-22 State Budget, will be used to stimulate local demand for renewable hydrogen in transport and industrial settings and to drive investment into renewable hydrogen.
The 2021-22 Budget includes funding to develop and upgrade infrastructure at the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area (SIA) to establish a major renewable hydrogen hub in the Mid-West.
This delivers on the McGowan Government’s election commitment of $7.5 million for an access road into the Oakajee SIA to kick-start activation of the precinct.
An additional $4 million will be directed towards developing the plan for the activation of Oakajee and for additional infrastructure requirements, and to bolster the Renewable Hydrogen Unit within the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.
The new funding follows the Western Australian Government committing $900,000 towards three industry-led feasibility studies into renewable hydrogen projects across the state.
The studies, supported by the existing $15 million Renewable Hydrogen Fund, include projects in metropolitan and regional WA to support industry development.
BP Australia will receive $300,000 to progress their Kwinana Clean Fuels Hub proposal, which would see BP’s existing Kwinana refinery facility used for green hydrogen and clean fuel production.
Two feasibility studies will examine technologies and capabilities to support the transport of renewable hydrogen.
APT Management Services will receive $300,000 to study the conversion of the Parmelia gas pipeline into a 100 per cent hydrogen pipeline.
Global Energy Ventures will receive $300,000 to evaluate the technical and commercial feasibility of exporting green hydrogen to the Asia-Pacific from the Gascoyne utilising a compressed hydrogen shipping solution.
Premier Mark McGowan said hydrogen offers incredible potential for WA, with the capacity to sit alongside iron ore or LNG as a major export commodity – supporting local jobs and delivering wealth for all Western Australians.
“My Government is focused on making sure WA has every advantage to secure opportunities and investment in the emerging hydrogen industry,” Mr McGowan said.
“This $61.5 million initiative will attract investment, support work to grow a local hydrogen production industry and drive local demand for hydrogen – delivering local economic benefits and helping WA meet its emissions reductions targets.”
Hydrogen Industry Minister, Alannah MacTiernan, said the $61.5 million commitment will supercharge WA’s renewable hydrogen industry, helping to stimulate local demand for hydrogen to get production projects get off the ground.
“Renewable hydrogen presents a big opportunity for industries right across WA to reduce their emissions and embrace a cleaner future, and our funding commitment to demand stimulation will help companies take that leap,” Minister MacTiernan said.
“This latest round of feasibility studies presents exciting opportunities for hydrogen across WA.”
“BP’s proposal to convert the old Kwinana oil refinery into a green hydrogen hub will help to revitalise Kwinana and bring this facility into a low-emissions future,” she said.
“We’ve seen real success off the back of previously-funded studies – including our $375,000 investment into feasibility of ATCO’s Clean Energy Innovation Park in early 2020, which went on to secure a $28.7 million Australian Renewable Energy Agency grant.”
More information on the Renewable Hydrogen Fund can be found here.
