1 GW Green Hydrogen baseload plant proposed in Australia

Australian Green Hydrogen specialist Infinite Blue Energy (IBE) has unveiled a bold new plan to transition large users of fossil fuel-based electricity in New South Wales (NSW) to Green Hydrogen by 2027.

The initial target for Project NEO is 1 GW of 100% Green Hydrogen reliable baseload power via a combination of Solar PV, Wind Turbines & Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology. Project NEO is initially focused on providing 1 GW, but the concept is scalable and potentially able to provide a significant proportion of the region’s electricity requirement.

Project NEO, which will commence with a feasibility study and detailed design over the next 18 months, is focused on transitioning the traditional reliance on coal-fired and/or gas-fuelled electricity to Green Hydrogen generated baseload electricity. A traditional weakness with solar and wind energy is the variability associated with a reliance on natural seasonal changes and conditions. By converting solar and wind energy into Green Hydrogen, it is possible to provide electricity when there is no wind, a cloudy day, or limited to zero sun exposure at night via its Fuel Cell Technology.

“The vision at IBE is to show the world, first and foremost, that Australia has the technology, skills and entrepreneurial mindset to be a true leader in the development of Green Hydrogen plants,” IBE CEO Stephen Gauld said.

Project NEO, which is estimated to cost a total of AUD 2.7 billion (USD 1.8 billion) when built, generates Green Hydrogen with renewable wind and solar energy. The Green Hydrogen is then stored before being converted into electricity by fuel cells.

“Another really exciting aspect of Project NEO is the capacity of the renewable generation which will be around 3.5GW of energy delivered from the plan,” said Infinite Blue Energy CEO Stephen Gauld.

“The scale and sheer potential of it is immense. To put things into perspective, that is 2.5 times greater in energy production than the recently-announced project in Western Australia by one of Australia’s largest oil and gas companies – one that’s seeking to have 1.5 gigawatts of new wind and solar capacity in Geraldton. And we are only just at the beginning.”