Iron Road selects Amp Energy for Eyre Peninsula hydrogen hub

Mining group Iron Road has selected Amp Energy as lead green hydrogen developer for its Cape Hardy green hydrogen project located on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

The hub, which is expected to attract billions of dollars’ worth of investment and more than 1,000 jobs when fully operational, will accommodate the green field development of a multi-purpose, multi-user deep-sea port for mineral, grain and hydrogen export.

It will also feature a 5GW scale green hydrogen production facility proposed by Amp Energy.

Iron Road made the selection after a after a three-month competitive offer-to-bid process to develop the hub and port, which is supported by the state government and a $25 million funding commitment from the federal government for the development of the deep-sea port.

An existing hydrocarbons export jetty at Port Bonython also on the Eyre Peninsula is also being extended at a cost of $32.7 million to serve new green energy industries in the region.

The planned export facility at Cape Hardy is designed to be South Australia’s first capesize capable port and, along with a related green industrial precinct, will be developed over a number of stages.

Iron Road Ltd Chief Executive Larry Ingle said: “We are delighted to be working exclusively with Amp Energy for the next nine months and beyond, on a green energy production and export development opportunity of national significance.

“This important milestone further validates Cape hardy as South Australia’s pre-eminent hydrogen export hub of scale. Our competitive offer-to-bid process was carefully designed to screen the most capable and motivated developer looking to prioritise and advance the project quickly and judiciously.”

Amp Energy intends to develop and build up to 5GW of electrolyser capacity over the next decade in the precinct, delivering over five million tons per annum of green ammonia, which will establish South Australia as an exporter of green hydrogen and ammonia.

Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of AMP Energy Paul Ezekiel said the company had a background of developing large-scale upstream power systems globally.

Ezekiel said: “Amp Energy’s development of strategically located transmission-connected green hydrogen and ammonia facilities at select locations such as Cape Hardy in South Australia is critical to our continued global growth and long-term strategy.”

The South Australian Government, through Invest SA within the Department for Trade and Investment, supported Iron Road and Amp Energy, along with other local companies, at the Fuel Cell Expo in Tokyo in March to showcase South Australia’s green credentials and hydrogen export capabilities.

Further reading:
SA ACTS TO BUILD AUSTRALIAN FIRST GREEN HYDROGEN POWER PLANT

Picture: Department for Trade and Investment, South Australia