“Low cost” solar hydrogen project moves a step closer, as water source secured

Frontier Energy says it’s a step closer to building a solar-fuelled green hydrogen facility in Western Australia after reaching an agreement for critical water supplies with the state government that eliminates to need to build its own desalination plant.

Frontier says the preferred pathway to deliver water to its Bristol Springs Renewable Energy Project would be via an existing main pipeline some  3.5 kms from the site.

Frontier says it made its determination after consultations with state-owned water supplier Water Corp.

Water is an essential element for green hydrogen production, with around nine litres of water required for every one kilogram of hydrogen produced.

Frontier’s operations are located about 120km south of Perth, where it is currently planning the initial stage of a 114MW solar farm and a 36.6MW alkaline electrolyser to make green hydrogen.

Accessing water, one of the two critical elements for green hydrogen production — the other is renewable energy — via the existing water pipeline network eliminates the need for Frontier to install a desalination facility, cutting development costs and reducing the time to start up, according to Frontier’s executive chairman, Grant Davey.

Desalination is a process that extracts salt and other minerals from seawater to produce freshwater.

Water Corp. is the principal supplier of water, wastewater and drainage services in Western Australia, and is owned by the Western Australian government.

Frontier anticipates finalising  a supply agreement with Water Corp. this year.

RenewEconomy reported in August that Frontier had weighed the possibilities of both wind and solar energy solutions  to fuel its project, but found that wind was not competitive and a solar-only option would deliver the best outcome. Battery storage was also deemed uneconomic due to high capital costs.

Frontier’s strategy differs from that of major energy producer Woodside, which is proposing development of a 1.7 GW green hydrogen plant in Tasmania using a combination of solar and wind power.