Fortescue looks to build 9.2GW wind and solar green hydrogen project in Egypt

Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries says it is looking to build a 9.2GW wind and solar facility that will power green hydrogen production in Egypt, and could also include local manufacturing facilities for wind and solar.

Forrest and his team from FFI, the billionaire’s newly formed green energy venture, are on yet another global tour scouting for opportunities to meet his ambition of producing 15 million tonnes of green hydrogen a year by 2030.

The newly revealed 9.2GW project – and other green energy opportunities – were discussed over the weekend by Forrest and his team with Egypt president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in the lead up to the latest UN climate talks due to be held in Egypt later this year.

“Egypt is on the way to becoming a global powerhouse in the green energy value chain and will be ready to show the world that at COP27,” Forrest said in a statement, in reference to the Conference of the Parties, as the UN talks are described.

“Egypt’s excellent wind and solar resources can generate the renewable energy required to produce large scale green electricity, green hydrogen and green ammonia.”

It is the latest in a series of project announcements unveiled by Forrest and his team over the last year and a half, when Forrest has scoured the world, and large tracts of Australia, looking for green energy and green hydrogen opportunities.

Fortescue and FFI have already announced plans for a 5.2GW wind and solar project in the Pilbara, which will be mostly focused on the company’s massive iron ore operations, transport needs and possibly local manufacturing and production.

Forrest is also exploring opportunities in the south of the state, near Esperance, and has reportedly been signing deals with landowners to host the massive wind turbines that would power such a project, although few details have actually been released.

In Queensland, Forrest’s private investment firm Squadron Energy has begun construction of a first 450MW stage of the Clarke Creek renewables hub that could also include more wind, solar, battery storage and green hydrogen production.

Near Gladstone, FFI is constructing the country’s first major hydrogen electrolyser factory, with an initial capacity of 2GW a year, and is also looking to build wind turbine towers, solar modules and other green energy infrastructure at the same green manufacturing site.

The same options appear to be on the cars in Egypt, where Forrest and FFI have also raised the possibility of local manufacturing to supply the massive green hydrogen project should it go ahead.

“The meeting tackled collaboration between Fortescue Future Industries and Egypt’s electricity and renewable energy sector in the fields of green hydrogen production and green ammonia with a 9.2 GW installed capacity from renewable energy,” a presidential spokesman said.

“(It also discussed) the localisation of electricity production from solar and wind resources such as solar panels and wind turbines.”