InterContinental Energy’s Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) has secured $21m from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to progress development after bp withdrew its majority stake last year.
To be built in Western Australia’s Pilbara, the 26GW Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) will underpin green iron efforts by producing large volume and low-cost green hydrogen.
Related article: BP pulls majority stake in Australian Renewable Energy Hub
The funding will support the next detailed phase of technical, economic and regulatory progress to ensure AREH can be online in time to support Future Made in Australia products such as green iron and ammonia.
The studies will focus on green hydrogen production at Boodarie near Port Hedland, integration with industrial partners, alongside environmental, water and cultural heritage considerations.
InterContinental Energy head of Australia Isaac Hinton said the ARENA funding represented a major vote of confidence in Australia’s role as an emerging green iron superpower.
“For the Pilbara to remain a major source of jobs and growth for Australia in the decades ahead, it must evolve from exporting iron ore to producing green iron,” Hinton said.
“As global customers increasingly demand affordable green iron, there is an incredible strategic opportunity for the Pilbara to combine its world-class renewable energy and iron ore resources to capture more of the value chain.
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“At InterContinental Energy we are proud that this funding will accelerate AREH’s nation‑building potential to drive the first phases of green iron investment in the region.”
At full scale, AREH could produce up to 1.6 million tonnes of green hydrogen for nation-building industries in green iron or green ammonia, positioning it among the largest green hydrogen projects in the world.
