Western Australia’s multi-gigawatt green hydrogen giant edges forward

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Image: ARENA.

Western Australia has granted environmental approval for the first 15GW stage of a renewable energy hub focused on green hydrogen production that could eventually reach 26GW of solar and wind generation.

The Asian Renewable Energy Hub is intended to encompass 6,500 square kilometres of land in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. While up to 3GW of generation capacity will be dedicated to large energy users in the Pilbara, which could include new and expanded mines and downstream mineral processing, the bulk of the energy will be used for large-scale production of green hydrogen for both domestic and export markets.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Western Australia’s government said environmental approval for the first stage – which includes 5GW of solar generation and 10GW of wind – represents a “major step forward” for the project.

“This development will demonstrate Western Australia's credentials as a world-class investment destination for green energy generation, including the production of exportable commodities, like green hydrogen and ammonia, and green steel manufacturing. It will put Western Australia on the map as a major contributor to lowering global carbon emissions,” said the state’s regional development minister, Alannah MacTiernan.

The hub is being developed by a consortium of partners including InterContinental Energy, CWP Energy Asia, Vestas and Pathway Investments.

It is hoped the development will help diversify the Western Australian economy and build a supply chain to manufacture some of the equipment associated with the wind and solar generation. Up to 5,000 direct construction jobs are set to be created during the 10-year project construction period, with 3,000 direct jobs created for the 50-plus year operational period.

Approval for the first stage comes after the Western Australian government announced a AU$22 million (US$16.03 million) investment to boost the state’s hydrogen industry across four areas: export, use in remotely located industries, blending in natural gas networks and use in fuel cell electric transport vehicles. According to MacTiernan, hydrogen has the potential to be a “major economic driver for the state”.

Hydrogen is one of five technologies that Australia’s federal government is backing to slash emissions, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency tasked to explore its development through fresh funding.

The country’s recent budget included a AU$70.2 million (US$49.9 million) spend over five years on a hydrogen export hub as it looks to build on hydrogen-related agreements announced in the last year with countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Germany.

Read Next

August 4, 2025
Australia’s Productivity Commission said the country should phase out subsidies for renewables and replace them with market-based incentives.
August 1, 2025
Western Australia network operator Western Power has confirmed it has granted two more network connection offers to two new large-scale renewable energy projects, bringing its total for 2024/25 to 759MW.
August 1, 2025
Dutch pension fund APG has agreed to provide Octopus Australia with AU$1 billion to support its solar, wind, and BESS portfolio.
July 31, 2025
Lucy Nation has said bp paid the price for proceeding “too quickly,” resulting in its exit from the 26GW AREH project in Pilbara.
July 28, 2025
In a webinar hosted by Informa Markets, industry experts gathered to dissect the implications of the 45V clean hydrogen tax credit extension.
July 28, 2025
Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has announced it has invested a record AU$4.7 billion (US$3.09 billion) in large-scale renewables, energy storage, and transmission projects during the 12-month period ending 30 June 2025.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK