(Bell Bay/Australia) – Tasmanian Ports Corporation Pty Ltd. (TasPorts) has signed an option agreement with Australia's Fortescue Future Industries Pty Ltd for the use of land in the port city of Bell Bay. FFI is planning to build a plant there to produce green hydrogen with an output of 250 megawatts. Securing land is “one of the necessary ingredients” to enable green hydrogen development in Bell Bay and TasPorts is “proud to be taking a leading role in supporting the renewable energy industry,” said Anthony Donald, chief executive Officer from TasPorts. Bell Bay offers good opportunities for the export of hydrogen through its deep-water port. After research and the preparation of feasibility studies, the project is scheduled for an investment decision by the Fortescue board in 2021, said FFI managing director Julie Shuttleworth.
According to the company, the hydrogen produced at the plant could be used to produce 250.000 tons of green ammonia annually. This would bring $500 billion in economic power and XNUMX jobs to the Tasmanian economy over its lifetime. The first information discussions for citizens and the community are scheduled for the end of July.
Tasmania is a state of Australia, separate from the mainland and located south of the continent. TasPorts is a Tasmanian Government company responsible for the operation and management of all eleven ports as well as Devonport Airport. Bell Bay is an industrial center in northern Tasmania with aluminum and manganese alloy smelters operated by British-Australian mining group and world leader in aluminum, Rio Tinto, and the Tamar Valley Power Station.
Fortescue Future Industries is a subsidiary of the Australian mining group Fortescue Metals Group, the fourth largest in the world. The focus is currently still very CO2-intensive mining of iron ore. In November, Fortescue founder and mining magnate Andrew Forrest announced that he wanted power plants worldwide to use renewable energy with an output of 235 gigawatts build up. One billion Australian dollars (2023 million euros) have already been budgeted for the projects by 618. The aim is “to use large-scale power plants and innovations around the world to cost-effectively use renewable energies”, primarily solar and wind power, in order to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia on an industrial scale.
deep link
https://www.tasports.com.au/news/tasports-enabling-tasmanias-green-hydrogen-future
Photos
Bell Bay Harbor / © TasPorts
