World first hydrogen power station to get underway

The South Australian government’s $593 million hydrogen fuelled power station is moving ahead with tenders closing on Monday for early stage civil works at Port Bonython, near the industrial city of Whyalla on Spencer Gulf.

The world’s first power station to run on renewable hydrogen, the facility will feature 250MWe of electrolysers powering 200MW of power generation, and a Hydrogen Reticulation and Storage System (HRSS).

Just as the state’s first big battery revolutionised grid scale energy storage worldwide, the government plans for the electrolyser and associated hydrogen storage to be another green energy game changer.

A consortium made up of ATCO Australia and BOC (ABC) has been engaged by the South Australian Government to provide Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) Services to deliver the hydrogen facility at Whyalla.

ATCO Australia is part of the $29B global ATCO Group, while BOC is a subsidiary of Linde, the world’s leading industrial gases company.

The companies have called through the ICN Gateway for expressions of interest from companies and organisations ‘who consider they have the skills and experience to contribute to the development of the Whyalla Hydrogen Facility’.

This initially aims to benefit local businesses and contractors with the relevant capability.

Further reading:
ATCO and BOC Linde to build world first hydrogen power station

Image: City of Whyalla