UK Solar Developer Entering Green Hydrogen Space

Eco Energy World (EEW), a utility scale solar power developer from the UK, is entering the green hydrogen space in Australia's Queensland state, claiming a solar PV+hydrogen+energy storage project to be one of the world's largest green hydrogen and solar PV developments.

The company owns and has developed a 300 MW solar PV project in Raglan near the Port of Gladstone, currently at ready-to-build stage. At the same location, it plans to set up a 200 MW hydrogen plant with capacity to produce 33,000 tons of green hydrogen annually through electrolyzer technology, along with 100 MW energy storage capacity.

EEW expects to develop the project for AUD 0.5 billion, having contracted an unidentified internationally recognized hydrogen electrolyzer manufacturer as a technology partner. It plans to start project construction in Q3/2022.

"Having studied the evolving hydrogen industry since 2017, it now makes sense for us to enter this exciting market as we see the ongoing growth in large-scale electrolyzer production and that consequently, capex costs are rapidly falling," said Chairman of EEW Svante Kumlin.

Management revealed that the group is also working to launch itself on an international stock exchange during 2021 to enable it to 'fully capitalize on other international opportunities and meet our ambitious growth objectives'. EEW says it has developed 1.2 GW of utility scale solar power plants globally.

"This new sector for the Group will harness our considerable existing expertise in developing renewable energy projects and energy storage, in order to take advantage of what we anticipate could be one of the world's key renewable energy markets, green hydrogen," explained Reza Ghanei, EEW's Development Director.

The port of Gladstone seems to be an ideal destination for green hydrogen development in Queensland thanks to good solar irradiance, and as EEW points out the presence of existing gas pipeline infrastructure here, along with access to a deep-water export port that simplifies the process of exporting renewable hydrogen generated.

There have been some announcements earlier for solar energy and hydrogen projects in and around Gladstone. In June 2020, Austrom Hydrogen proposed to produce renewable hydrogen from 3.6 GW PV and energy storage facility in Callide, close to Gladstone Port (see 3.6 GW Solar & Storage For Hydrogen In Australia). There is another 2 GW wind, solar and storage facility called Central Queensland Power Project (CQP) planned near the port by UK's RES and Energy Estate (see 2 GW Wind/Solar/Storage Project In Australia).