In a significant advancement for the state’s renewable energy industry, the NSW Government has granted planning approval for a $207.6 million hydrogen hub in the Hunter.
Minister for Climate Change and the Environmenmt Penny Sharpe said the facility will be a regional cornerstone of the hydrogen industry.
“This facility will be a regional cornerstone of the hydrogen industry, accelerating NSW’s shift towards clean technologies and net zero,” said Sharpe.
The State Significant Development at Kooragang Island led by Origin Future Fuels is expected to begin construction in mid-2025.
The hub will initially deliver approximately 55 megawatts of electrolyser capacity by 2026, with an aim to scale up to over 1 gigawatt of capacity over the next decade.
The development will save the equivalent of more than 52,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year from Orica’s facility.
The project will create 160 construction jobs with 10 ongoing roles.
Green hydrogen is created through electrolysis can be used as a feedstock in industrial processes and as a fuel source in the transport sector.
Federal member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon said the green hydrogen will play a massive role in Australia’s net zero transformation.
“The Albanese Labor Government is committed to supporting carbon intensive regions like ours to take advantage of the economic and job opportunities that come with more affordable and reliable renewable energy,” said Claydon
The development will support the hydrogen industry in NSW by establishing a commercial-scale green hydrogen supply chain and a hydrogen refuelling network for the Hunter Region and NSW.
It has been funded by $45 million from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and $70 million from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
