The South Australian Government has selected preferred partners to deliver its Hydrogen Jobs Plan, featuring the world’s biggest hydrogen production facility, power plant and storage at Whyalla in the Upper Spencer Gulf.
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A consortium comprising ATCO Australia and BOC is the preferred hydrogen delivery partner. The ATCO Australia and BOC consortium has committed to an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) agreement with the state government, which will see the proponent undertake detailed project and engineering design, procurement of critical equipment, finalise contracting arrangements, and cost estimations.
The state government has also entered an ECI agreement with South Australian energy infrastructure company EPIC Energy to develop an integrated pipeline and hydrogen storage solution. The agreements follow a detailed six-month evaluation assessment process of 29 proposals received from companies worldwide.
The design and construction of the Hydrogen Power Plant will include 250MW of electrolysers designed to Linde’s global engineering standards. In a world-first, the project will see the installation of 100% hydrogen-operated fast-startup turbines.
Epic Energy’s storage solution would provide a dual-purpose storage and transmission pipeline, providing infrastructure connections for hydrogen production expansion and industrial offtake to support an emerging industry.
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Backed by a $593 million state government investment, the Hydrogen Jobs Plan is a bold initiative designed to re-industrialise the Upper Spencer Gulf region using clean energy and solidify South Australia’s position as a global hydrogen powerhouse.
The project’s operations are set to commence in early 2026.
