Boasting both vast natural assets and a world-class industrial ecosystem, Western Australia is a global energy hub.
It’s also poised to become a world leader in the green hydrogen industry. With its vast land mass, sophisticated energy infrastructure, world-class renewable energy resources and established export markets, Western Australia is in prime position to drive the transformation to clean hydrogen.
The Western Australian Government is supporting the state’s transformation into a significant producer, exporter and user of renewable hydrogen. The WA Renewable Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap set out how Western Australia will achieve this vision, with 26 initiatives across the focus areas of exports, transport, remote applications and hydrogen blending in natural gas networks. All of this is backed by a government investment of almost A$90 million in the development of Western Australia’s renewable hydrogen industry.
Western Australia also has substantial reserves of natural gas – another important energy source in the transition to a low carbon economy. In 2020, Western Australia accounted for 12% of global LNG exports.
The state is capitalising on its vast reserves of battery minerals in its drive to develop a world-leading, sustainable and value-adding battery industry. Western Australia is the world’s largest producer of lithium, accounting for a massive 49% of global lithium production in 2020. It also houses large reserves of nickel, cobalt, manganese and alumina. Guided by the Future Battery Industry Strategy, Western Australia is growing its battery industry through a focus on R&D, investment attraction, project facilitation and the adoption of new battery technologies.
On top of its natural resources, Western Australia presents unmatched opportunities to generate renewable energy. The Pilbara region alone has solar energy potential of some 2,350 kWh/m2/year.
Incentives, grants and support
The Western Australian government is supporting clean energy and renewables projects with two funds:
- The Renewable Hydrogen Fund supports capital works projects and feasibility studies.
- The Clean Energy Future Fund supports investment-ready innovative clean energy projects of high public value.
Non-financial support is available from Invest and Trade Western Australia, which has a team of business facilitation professionals who can work with you to assess your business requirements and connect you with relevant government and industry stakeholders.
Case studies
- ATCO Gas Australia has been awarded a grant for a A$2.6 million capital works project that will help decarbonise the state’s gas distribution network. Renewable hydrogen produced at ATCO’s Clean Energy Innovation Hub near Perth will be blended into isolated sections of the Mid-West and South West Gas Distribution Systems (GDS), lowering emissions for the WA community. Supplying up to 2,500 customers with renewable hydrogen blended gas, the Clean Energy Innovation Hub will be the largest project of its kind in Australia.
- A 15,000 square km site on Western Australia’s southern coast has been proposed as the location for the A$100 billion Western Green Energy Hub. Comprising 50 gigawatts of wind and solar capacity, the Western Green Energy Hub would be the world’s biggest renewable energy hub and one of the largest projects ever seen in Australia. The consortium behind the project comprises CWP Global, InterContinental Energy and Mirning Green Energy.