Another green hydrogen project has been proposed in Australia, this time with a capacity of 1 GW. The 100% renewable hydrogen hydrogen reliable baseload power will be produced by Infinite Blue Energy (IBE) with a combination of solar PV, wind power and hydrogen fuel cell technology, Australian media reported referring to a company statement. The renewable energy generation capacity will be around 3.5 GW.
The project has been proposed for New South Wales (NSW) and is called Project NEO. Green hydrogen thus produced from Project NEO is to be supplied to the grid with an aim to reach energy intensive industries.
IBE CEO Stephen Gauld was quoted as saying, "To put things into perspective, that is 2.5 times greater in energy production than the recently-announced project in Western Australia by one of Australia's largest oil and gas companies – one that's seeking to have 1.5 GW of new wind and solar capacity in Geraldton. And we are only just at the beginning."
For now, the company is negotiating major electricity consumers in NSW's Hunter region to switch over to green hydrogen from coal and natural gas energy generation, and is scheduled to undertake a feasibility study and detailed design over the next 18 months.
In April 2020, IBE said it had secured funding worth AUD 300 million ($196 million) for the Arrowsmith Hydrogen Project as the country's 'first, large scale 100% Green Hydrogen plant' to be located in Western Australia. It will produce green hydrogen through solar and wind energy.