InterContinental Energy: forging ahead with mega-scale green hydrogen and ammonia
By on March 10, 2026
In our March episode of Project Features, we explored InterContinental Energy’s gigawatt-scale renewable ammonia project portfolio, with an emphasis on the Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH). Raymond MacDonald (CEO WGEH) was joined in conversation by AEA Technology Manager Kevin Rouwenhorst. The recording is available on our website, and you can also download the speaker slides here.
Australia: a potential renewable energy powerhouse
Australia is considered a leading location for large-scale renewable energy projects, with hydrogen and ammonia emerging as key products for intercontinental exports. Renewable ammonia projects benefit from several factors that Australia is well positioned to deliver on:
- Strong complementary solar and wind resources. This allows for a high operational capacity factor of the electrolyzer and ammonia plants.
- Low population densities in various regions, particularly those with high solar and wind resources. Renewables can take up a significant land area, especially in the case of wind-based projects. Buy-in from local communities through partial project ownership, local employment opportunities, and skill building are key.
- An established industrial base in the country provides existing relationships for construction and operations, as well as established know-how.
- A stable jurisdiction allows for a low cost of capital, which is relevant for highly capital intensive and low operational cost renewables projects. A stable jurisdiction also gives investors confidence for long-term offtake.
A disadvantage of Australia compared to other regions is the high cost of labour, particularly compared to China, India, and the Middle East. InterContinental Energy aims to minimize this burden via local workforce utilization where possible to minimize the impact of flying in and out of the region. Multi-stage projects allow for continued construction workforce and replacing equipment after their economic lifetime.
Click to enlarge. While Australia has a large pipeline of renewable and CCS-based projects, only two have reached FID. From Kevin Rouwenhorst, March 2026 Project Features introduction.
Last year, the Australian government launched its Guarantee of Origin (GO) scheme, a voluntary framework for emissions accounting of products including ammonia, plus the certification of renewable electricity feedstock. In its initial phase, electrolytic hydrogen production is included, which may be used as an input certificate for the AEA Ammonia Certification System.
While Australia has significant potential for renewable ammonia production, so far only two electrolysis projects have reached FID, namely YURI and GEGHA.
YURI is a joint venture between ENGIE & Mitsui’s for 18 MW solar PV and 8 MW Li-ion battery, combined with 10 MW electrolysis capacity in Pilbara. The plant is designed such that various electrolyzer patterns can be tested, making it a demonstrator for large-scale electrolysis projects. The project results in 640 tons of hydrogen production per year, fed into Yara’s existing (and adjacent) Pilbara site to produce around 3,600 tons of renewable ammonia, with an estimated carbon footprint of 0.109 tCO2e/tNH3. This decarbonizes around 0.5% of Yara’s ammonia production site. Next phases may include scaled up electrolysis capacity, as well as CCS for existing gas-based ammonia production.
In 2025, Hiringa Energy, Sundown Pastoral Company and the NSW Government reached FID for 4,500 tons of renewable ammonia production in the Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia (GEGHA) project in Moree, New South Wales. The plant will displace fossil-based nitrogen fertilizers currently used by Sundown. Operations are scheduled to commence in 2027. The project features 36 MW of solar PV with 41 MWh battery, to feed 15 MW of electrolysis capacity and 16 tons per day ammonia production. Storage capacity includes 3 tons of hydrogen and 600 tons of ammonia.
InterContinental Energy’s ammonia project portfolio
Click to enlarge. InterContinental Energy’s portfolio of projects. From Raymond MacDonald, WGEH: Project Overview (March 2026).
InterContinental Energy is developing renewable hydrogen and ammonia projects at oil & gas scale. Its portfolio consists of projects in regions with some of the best complementary solar and wind resources, such as the Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) in the Pilbara, a globally critical iron ore mining region, the Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH) in Western Australia’s Goldfields-Esperance region, and Green Energy Oman (GEO) in the Al Wusta region in Oman. These projects will be developed in phases, with each hub ultimately targeting between 25 GW and 70 GW of installed wind and solar capacity at full scale. Investors into InterContinental Energy include Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC & international hydrogen investment group Hy24.
The Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH)
Under development since 2019, WGEH is the largest of these projects, with up to 70 GW of wind and solar deployed at full project scale developed over 7 stages (at an area of up to 22,000 km2). Located on the border between Western Australia and South Australia, the partners in WGEH include InterContinental Energy, CWP Global (backed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners), and Mirning Green Energy (a commercial subsidiary of the WA Mirning People Aboriginal Corporation). Various masts and monitors have been operational for a few years, to validate the wind and solar resources. At full capacity, around 5.4 million tons of hydrogen or 30.4 million tons of ammonia can be produced at the site. A marine offloading facility and water desalination plants will be built in the port, next to the ammonia plants. In March 2025, WGEH was granted Federal Major Project Status by the Australian Government; it also has Lead Agency Status from the Western Australian Government.
Click to enlarge. Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH) Stage 1. From Raymond MacDonald, WGEH: Project Overview (March 2026).
The first stage of the project will see around 1.8 million tons of renewable ammonia production from 6 GW of wind and solar divided over two or three nodes (see below). In September 2024, WGEH and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) signed a collaboration agreement, including a WGEH Stage 1 feasibility study. In March 2026, WGEH has now secured over 1.4 million tons of non-binding offtake interest from Japan and South Korea for Phase 1 of the project, targeted in 2033 or 2034, with FID planned in 2029 or 2030. InterContinental Energy is partnering with SANY for the feasibility study of stage one.
Click to enlarge. InterContinental Energy’s patented P2(H2)Node architecture. From Raymond MacDonald, WGEH: Project Overview (March 2026).
InterContinental Energy has developed the modular P2(H2)NodeTM architecture, which is optimized for large-scale renewable ammonia projects. The concept includes renewables and water electrolysis capacity concentrated in “nodes”, with around 110,000 – 165,000 tons of hydrogen production per annum per node. Hydrogen is then transported via pipeline to a centralized ammonia production in the port area. This results in lower losses than transporting renewable electricity over large distances to a centralized hydrogen and ammonia production in the port area. The integrated hydrogen pipeline between nodes also allows to level out some fluctuations in hydrogen production for the ammonia plant.
Given the multi-phase aspect of the WGEH project, continuous job opportunities will emerge. In this context, WGEH is planning a local village related to the project, with around 3,000 people.
There is also the consideration that wind turbines and solar panels have economic lifetimes of around 25-30 years. Thus, upon completion of the last stage of the project, recapitalizing the first phases of the project will be required. Over the coming decades, technological advancements are expected to emerge, which can be taken into account in each stage of the project.
Offtake opportunities for Australian renewable ammonia
The WGEH initially focuses on offtake from Japan and South Korea. However, some other potential offtake markets for renewable ammonia are emerging in Australia, including:
- Maritime fuel (IMO): the Pilbara aims to be an ammonia bunkering location for the West Australia-East Asia iron ore supply corridor, launching the Pilbara Clean Fuels Bunkering Hub initiative in 2025. In preparation of ammonia as a maritime fuel, 2,700 tons of ammonia was transferred ship-to-ship (and back) over the course of a day, back in 2024. The vessels involved were the Green Pioneer (a Mitsui O.S.K. Lines vessel) and the Navigator Global (a Navigator Gas vessel).
- Fertilizers (Australian CBAM): the Australian Government published its final Carbon Leakage Review in February 2026, suggesting Australia should introduce a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), similar to Europe. Cement and clinker are identified as initial priorities, with ammonia as part of the second phase.
- Foreign offtake (H2Global): the governments of Australia and Germany have agreed to establish a bilateral H2Global tender, contributing €200 million each to a joint auction. Australia is the first country south of the equator to agree to a joint H2Global funding window. The agreement will kick-start the establishment of a renewable hydrogen shipping corridor to Europe.