(Perth / Australia) – The Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy Ltd. is continuing to advance its plan to produce green hydrogen in large-scale plants at several locations. Now the company says it has secured a plot of land for its planned “H2TAS” hydrogen plant. This is partially cleared land in the Austrak Business Park (Long Reach), a heavy industrial area in Bell Bay in the north of the separate state of Tasmania from the mainland at the geographical southern tip of Australia. Woodside and Austrak have agreed an exclusive option for a long-term lease.
H2TAS has the potential for a total electrolysis capacity of 1,7 gigawatts (GW). The first phase is 300 megawatts (MW), the goal is to produce 200.000 tons of ammonia per year. Power sources would use a combination of renewable energies to “produce a 100 percent renewable ammonia product for export as well as renewable hydrogen for domestic use,” the company said. On PtX-Inquiry, a Woodside spokesman explained that they were pursuing the development of “high-quality wind turbines” to cover “almost 50 percent” of electricity requirements. Hydropower is also used.
The Tasmanian government supports the project
In January 2021, Woodside signed a Memorandum of Understanding whereby the Tasmanian Government pledged its support for the development of a hydrogen center in the Bell Bay region. In May of this year, the company also announced an agreement with the Japanese trading conglomerate Marubeni Corporation and the Japanese-based conglomerate IHI Corporation. It was concluded “that it is technically and commercially feasible” to export ammonia from Bell Bay to Japan. Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill said H2TAS is "already generating interest from existing and potential customers in Asia and Europe." However, the final investment decision will not be made until 2023. Construction and commissioning will then probably take another 24 months.
Hydrogen production also in Western Australia
Only a few weeks before announcing its intentions in Tasmania, Woodside had announced similar plans for a location in the greater port city of Perth, Western Australia. Production facilities for hydrogen and ammonia are also to be built under the name “H2Perth” on an approximately 130 hectare site in the Kwinana and Rockingham industrial areas. 
The development takes place gradually. At full potential, this is said to be “one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.” The aim is to produce up to 1.500 tons of hydrogen per day for export. However, regardless of the export plans, filling stations could be built there locally and put into operation as early as 2023 – “subject to approvals and customer demand”.
H2Perth will “significantly support the growth of renewable energy in Western Australia”. This would also support the use of electricity from renewable energies for households and local industry, said Woodside boss Meg O'Neill. 
The electrolysis capacity is initially 250 megawatts. The aim is initially to produce hydrogen at 300 tonnes per day, which corresponds to 20 percent of the expected total capacity: 600.000 tonnes of ammonia or 110.000 tonnes of liquid hydrogen per year. “With a full expansion to 3,25 gigawatts, we expect a requirement of at least seven gigawatts of electricity generation capacity,” said the Woodside spokesman. Surplus electricity could be fed into the “South West Interconnected System”, a Western Australian power grid with Kwinana as an important hub.
The construction of photovoltaic power plants would be examined for both H2TAS and H2Perth. In the initial phase, however, natural gas will be used in Perth in a steam-methane reformer, a large-scale industrial process for producing hydrogen from carbon-containing energy sources and water.
The company will now begin involving the population in the H2Perth project and continue to advance negotiations with customers. Subject to the necessary approvals and a final investment decision, construction could begin in 2024.
Woodside is not alone
The Australian government provided additional funding for hydrogen projects in October. 150 million Australian dollars (93 million euros) are to be allocated as part of the program “Clean Hydrogen Industrial Hubs” support the establishment of hydrogen hubs in seven locations, including Bell Bay in Tasmania and Pilbara in Western Australia.
Woodside is not the only company currently interested in Tasmania and Western Australia. For example, this has Tasmanian Ports Corporation Pty Ltd. (TasPorts) signed an option agreement with Fortescue Future Industries Pty Ltd (FFI) 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.
When we asked whether both companies cooperated because they were working on the same thing in the same region, Woodside responded evasively. A spokesperson said they “strongly support a collaborative approach with governments to strengthen Bell Bay as a hub.” “Open access, shared infrastructure delivered through a collaborative model eliminates duplication of effort and reduces costs.” This could help Tasmanian renewable hydrogen become competitive domestically and internationally.
In addition, the region would benefit from several projects of this size in several ways, such as investments, job creation and economic development.
deep link
https://www.woodside.com.au/what-we-do/hydrogen
Graphic above
Concept of hydrogen production of the H2TAS project. © Woodside Energy Ltd.
Graphic center
Illustration of H2Perth's hydrogen production in the first phase (above) and as a possible full expansion. © Woodside Energy Ltd.
