Mitsubishi commits to Australian green hydrogen

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will invest capital in green hydrogen developer H2U Investments and deliver the front end engineering and design study for the company’s Eyre Peninsula Gateway project in South Australia.

The $240 million project, which includes a 75MW electrolyser near the regional city of Whyalla capable of producing enough hydrogen to create 40,000 tonnes of ammonia each year, won support from that state’s recent budget.

The state committed $37 million to upgrade the nearby Port Bonython jetty as part of its plan to become an exporter of green energy.

With the Whyalla project now underway MHI has now brought its considerable muscle, and knowledge of customers in Asia, to back the project.

MHI said in a statement: “South Australia has a rich endowment of wind and solar resources, and is now the leading economy, globally, in the integration of variable renewable energy into its electricity generation mix.

“By leveraging abundant renewable energy resources… (these) initiatives will help decarbonize mineral processing and agricultural industries in the region, and lay the foundation to export locally produced green hydrogen and green ammonia to Japan and other destinations .”

The news came as numerous green hydrogen projects are planned around Australia.

Today Origin Energy revealed plans for a 300MW electrolyser in Townsville to produce more than 36,000 tonnes of green hydrogen a year for export.

Origin’s partner in that project is Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

Meanwhile MHI said the Eyre Peninsula project was planned to begin commercial production of green hydrogen and ammonia towards the end of 2022.

Green hydrogen will be used in the manufacture of green ammonia, and to demonstrate hydrogen-powered gas turbine generators.

“As part of the project, MHI and H2U will investigate synergies with nearby industrial operations, including shared infrastructure for the further reduction of total CO2 emissions in the region.”

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