Korean Utility Taking Steps In Green Hydrogen

• Western Australia has announced KEPCO becoming a part of the WGEH through an MoU
• The project is planned to generate around 3.5 million tons of green hydrogen annually with 50 GW wind and solar capacity
• KEPCO joins the likes of InterContinental Energy, CWP Global and Mirning Green Energy Limited that are already part of the project

South Korea's Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the 50 GW wind and solar energy powered Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH) that the Western Australian government plans to become one of the largest green hydrogen hubs in the world.

WGEH is estimated to generate around 50 GW of clean energy through some 3,000 wind turbines and 25 million solar panels in the state's Goldfields-Esperance region on Mirning Country. Spread over 15,000 km2, the project is planned to have this renewable energy powering electrolyzers to generate over 3.5 million tons of green hydrogen annually.

The government wants to export most of this green hydrogen for use in power generation, shipping fuel, minerals processing and manufacturing, via existing transcontinental rail and highway infrastructure. Some of it will also be used locally at low and stable costs, it says.

InterContinental Energy, CWP Global and Mirning Green Energy Limited are already part of the WGEH project. KEPCO's involvement is seen to be taking it further. Investment decision on the project is scheduled for 2027 (see 50 GW Hybrid Wind & Solar Power For Green Fuels).

"The MoU is a key step forward in the process of having this major project completed," said Western Australia's Hydrogen Industry Minister Bill Johnston. "This is an exciting project for Western Australia and will put our State on the forefront of producing green hydrogen, making it competitive on a worldwide scale."

In May 2023, the state government unveiled its plans to have 51.1 GW new renewable energy and storage capacity by 2042 to meet the growing industrial demand through the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) network (see Western Australia's Gigantic RE Plans For SWIS).

It is also accelerating renewable energy deployment by setting up a new green energy approvals team and a green energy major projects group to expedite project clearance (see Australian State Speeding Up RE Projects).