Yara International ASA, Oslo, and French energy and service major ENGIE said on May 5 they will receive an A$42.5 million (approximately US$32.9 million at current exchange rates) in Australian government funding for their proposed renewable hydrogen plant with a 10-MW electrolyser. The plant will support the production of renewable ammonia at Yara’s existing facility in the Pilbara, Western Australia.
The grant is being provided as part of the ARENA Renewable Hydrogen Deployment Funding Round.
The project comprises the development, construction, and operation of a renewable hydrogen plant within the existing Yara Pilbara ammonia plant to deliver green ammonia to customers for decarbonizing emissions from power generation, shipping, fertilizer, or mining explosives.
Scheduled to commence production in 2023, the first concrete phase of the project will produce up to 625 mt/y of renewable hydrogen and 3,700 mt/y of renewable ammonia.
This initial first phase would be key to enable the facility to become the “Pilbara Hydrogen Hub,” building on the existing export infrastructure, said Yara.
This latest financial support from ARENA follows ARENA funding for the project’s feasibility study (GM Feb. 22, 2019) and the Western Australian government’s ongoing support for the project with a A$2 million grant and assistance with site selection, permitting and stakeholder engagement.