1GW wind-solar hybrid plant to be built in Western Australia

The proposed project is called the HyEnergy renewable hydrogen project. Once complete, the energy it generates could be used to produce 60,000 tons of green hydrogen or at maximum 3000,000 tons of green ammonia each year.

Feasibility studies for renewable energy generation and green hydrogen production at the project are expected to start in the next 12 to 18 months, it said.

Energy expert Eliza Danby at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law, said: "We continue to see a scaling up of green hydrogen projects in Australia, including those with potential to supply overseas markets."

According to the project plan, hydrogen and ammonia will be blended into local gas pipeline and part of production will be exported to Asian markets.

The project is planned to be implemented in three stages. The first stage includes a pilot trial of green hydrogen and green ammonia production, which will investigate the possibility of blending the gas into the nearby Dampier Bunbury natural gas pipeline (DBNGP).

The second stage will expand the project to supply gas to the DBNGP. The third stage will provide full production for domestic and export markets and develop a liquefied hydrogen loading facility in the Canarvon area.

The developer may also allocate a smaller percentage of its production to large local energy users. It has not yet confirmed how the 1GW of planned capacity will be divided between wind and solar.