Western Green Energy Hub and KEPCO: renewable mega-ammonia in Western Australia

By Geofrey Njovu on July 21, 2023

Powered by 50GW renewable energy, the WGEH project will have an annual capacity of up to 3.5 million tonnes per year of renewable hydrogen (20 million tonnes ammonia equivalent) mainly for export to South Korea and other Asian markets. Source: WGEH.
Click to expand. Powered by 50GW renewable energy, the WGEH project will have an annual capacity of up to 3.5 million tonnes per year of renewable hydrogen (20 million tonnes ammonia equivalent) mainly for export to South Korea and other Asian markets. Source: WGEH.

The Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) have signed an MoU towards the joint development of a renewable mega-project in Western Australia.

Located on a 15,000 km2 stretch of land on Mirning Country near Eucla in Western Australia, the WGEH project will be one of the largest renewable hydrogen hubs in the country.

At full capacity, the project will be able to produce up to 3.5 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen (20 million tonnes of ammonia equivalent) annually. This will be used domestically and exported to South Korea and other international markets.

As initially announced in July 2021, the project will be powered by 50 GW of locally produced wind and solar power, featuring 3000 wind turbines and 25 million solar panel modules. The site’s products will target “multiple sectors, including co-firing in power generation, the shipping sector, heavy industry such as steel, chemicals and mining, as well as the aviation sector.”

WGEH is a consortium made up of InterContinental Energy (46%), CWP Global (44%) and Mirning Green Energy Limited (10%), the dedicated commercial entity of the Mirning Traditional Lands Aboriginal Corporation. Expected to reach FID in 2027, the WGEH project plans to grow the local economy through partnering with the local and regional communities of the Mirning Peoples.

This new partnership is recognition of the work we have done to date and, perhaps more importantly, it recognises the opportunities that lie ahead. This includes the present update of the Australian Government national hydrogen strategy and the opportunity for priority promotion of regional development, indigenous participation, and a new green export industry for Australia.

Ray Macdonald, WGEH CEO in his organisation’s official press release, 11 July 2023

Congratulations to Western Green Energy Hub and the Korea Electric Power Corporation on working together to assess how this significant green hydrogen hub can be created. The MoU is a key step forward in the process of having this major project completed. This is an exciting project for Western Australia and will put our State on the forefront of producing green hydrogen, making it competitive on a worldwide scale.

Bill Johnston, Hydrogen Industry Minister in WGEH’s official press release, 11 July 2023