(Pilbara / Australia) – The Australian Federal Government and the Government of Western Australia are jointly providing 140 million Australian dollars (85 million euros) in funding for the construction of the “Pilbara Hydrogen Hub”. It is intended to become a center for the production and export of hydrogen and an “international gateway for green steel and iron from Australia”.
Commissioning planned for 2028
Construction of the road infrastructure will begin this year and will be commissioned in mid-2028. Training in the areas of renewable energy and hydrogen will also be offered there for residents of the Pilbara region. The project is being built on the land of the Ngarluma and Kariyaarra peoples.
“This center will bring a new clean energy industry to the Pilbara region,” says Western Australia Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. The state is already “a world-leading mining and export center and is now poised to become a world-leading hydrogen supplier as well.” The project will create hundreds of long-term jobs in the region.
Half a billion dollars for hydrogen centers
The funding is part of the Australian Federal Government's Regional Hydrogen Hubs program, which is investing more than half a billion dollars to build hydrogen hubs in key locations such as Kwinana, Gladstone, Townsville, Bell Bay, Port Bonython and Hunter.
Businesses also have plans for the Pilbara region. At the beginning of 2022, iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Future Industries proposed a project to install photovoltaic systems with an output of 3,33 gigawatts, 340 wind turbines and a battery with 9,1 gigawatt hours (GWh).
Photos
Pilbara is primarily characterized by mining, especially by the Rio Tinto group, one of the world's largest mining companies. © Rio Tinto
