Japan green ammonia heavyweight joins giga-scale renewable hydrogen project

The consortium behind giga-scale plans to develop a renewable hydrogen and ammonia production and export hub in Queensland’s north has added another big name to its ranks, with a subsidiary of Japan’s IHI Corporation signing on to the project.

IHI Engineering Australia was revealed on Thursday as the newest member of the team behind the huge project known as HyNQ, which already includes Idemitsu Australia, Queensland utility CS Energy and local developer Energy Estate.

HyNQ, which sits in Queensland’s Colinsville Renewable Energy Zone – traditionally a regional coal power hub – proposes to use wind and solar to power more than 1GW of electrolyser capacity at Abbot Point.

The newly boosted consortium says the renewable hydrogen will be used to produce green ammonia, primarily for export markets, and liquid hydrogen for domestic customers in North Queensland.

The Queensland government, represented in the consortium by the state-owned CS Energy, has committed to spend $8.5 million to accelerate the transition of Abbot Point – with its existing deep water port – into a green export hub.

Vincent Dwyer, co-founder of Energy Estate says that the depth of experience shared across the project’s developers is helping to keep up the pace of progress, including the completion of a comprehensive pre-feasibility study.

“IHI Corporation is recognised as a global leader and has already demonstrated its commitment to supporting the development of the green hydrogen industry in Australia,” Dwyer said on Thursday.

In Queensland, IHI Engineering Australia has been awarded the contract to build the Kogan Renewable Hydrogen Demonstration Plant near Chinchilla in the Western Downs, also in partnership with CS Energy – and next to its Kogan Creek coal plant.

In Tasmania, IHI is partnering with gas major Woodside and Marubeni Corporation on plans to produce and export green hydrogen and ammonia from Bell Bay to Japan at the proposed 300MW H2Tas plant.

IHI Corporation’s associated director Kensuke Yamamoto says the company sees HyNQ as an opportunity to secure long term supplies of green ammonia for the Japanese market.