The Kwinana Energy Transformation Hub (KETH), a key project being undertaken by the Future Energy Exports Cooperative Research Centre (FEnEx CRC), has achieved a significant milestone entering into its Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) stage.
Luth Eolas Pty Ltd, which has been established to develop and operate the KETH, announced it had awarded the FEED contract to a partnership of Valmec Australia Pty Ltd and Kent.
FEnEx CRC Chief Executive Professor Eric May said the FEED process is an essential step ahead of a Final Investment Decision (FID) for the project, which is expected in 2023.
May said: “The KETH will be a world-leading research and training facility where people and organisations will be enabled, empowered and equipped to demonstrate, test and de-risk decarbonisation technology solutions for the energy industry.”
The KETH facility will provide a globally unique low-risk live environment for demonstrating new technologies and processes that will drive emissions reduction and decarbonisation of liquified natural gas (LNG) production as well as assist the development at scale of the emerging hydrogen sector.
It will consist of:
• A 2 MW PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) hydrogen electrolyser producing up to 800 kg/day of hydrogen
• A fully instrumented 10 tonnes per day (tpd) small-scale LNG plant
• A broad range of testing facilities for third parties
Professor May said the KETH will help demonstrate to the world that industry is investing to reduce its emissions at scale.
He continued: “The KETH project will provide a tangible example of a project that is directly dealing with reducing emissions and improving efficiencies for a lower-carbon energy future.
“Located in Kwinana, the KETH will help place Western Australia at the forefront of finding solutions for a successful energy transition.”
Professor May said the support of the Western Australian as well as the Federal Government through the FEnEx CRC had been vital to achieve this stage.
He also acknowledged the State Government for its far-sighted decision, as an initiative under the LNG Jobs Taskforce, to grant the land for the KETH project.
FEnEx CRC Chair Mary Hackett also congratulated the team on the project’s progress.
She said: “Today we take a critical step closer to realising the vision of testing the FEnEX CRC research at an industrial scale.
“Only through achieving technology proof points can we accelerate toward net zero reality.”
The Future Energy Exports Cooperative Research Centre (FEnEx CRC) is an Australian not-for-profit organisation striving to future-proof energy exports through industrial-scale research and innovation.
Established in 2020 as a research-driven charity, the organisation also delivers education and training, evidence-based advice to inform the development of government policies, testing facilities and PhD scholarship opportunities.
Through research and innovation in LNG and Hydrogen, the FEnEx CRC will help Australia remain at the forefront of energy provision internationally.
