NT backs Total Eren plan to build territory’s first green hydrogen plant

Total Eren says it hopes to deliver the Northern Territory’s first solar-powered green hydrogen production and export facility, after its plans for Darwin’s Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct were awarded major project status by the territory government.

Total Eren’s Darwin H2 Hub (TE H2) at Middle Arm proposes to use solar energy to produce more than 80,000 tonnes of renewable-based hydrogen each year, for both domestic use and export.

The NT government says its decision to award TE H2 major project status recognises its potential significance to the territory’s economy, to jobs growth and as “an early mover in giga-scale renewable energy.”

“Creating the jobs now and into the future is the priority of the Territory Labor government. And this project does just that. It will create approximately 800 jobs during construction, and 175 ongoing local jobs,” said NT chief minister Eva Lawler in a statement on Tuesday.

“With our abundant solar resources and our strategic location to support exports into the Indo-Pacific, the production of green hydrogen is a key opportunity for the Territory to address the growing demand for this green energy globally.”

The Northern Territory has had mixed success with the shift to renewables, with a number of completed solar farms  – including the 15MW projects at Batchelor and Manton – left stranded and unable to generate because of strict rules governing dispatch on the local grid.

As RenewEconomy has reported, these rules have effectively meant that the projects need battery storage to get a connection, but the developers and owners have claimed that this was not known at the time of construction.

Even the greening up of Middle Arm has been patchy, with the precinct still housing the Santos and Ichthys LNG export terminals. And in June of last year, the NT government awarded a spot in the “sustainable” precinct to Beetaloo Basin gas company Tamboran Resources, which plans to use it to build its own LNG export plant.

More promisingly, the NT government in November secured a deal promising the supply of solar power to businesses setting up shop at the precinct, including Fortescue Future Industries, which like Total Eren wants to produce green hydrogen.

The deal commits Larrakia Energy to provide up to 30MW of solar energy from 2026 to support a vanadium electrolyte facility being built at Middle Arm by Tivan Limited.

TE H2 Australia managing director Kam Ho says the proposed Darwin H2 Hub aims to be the Northern Territory’s first solar-powered green hydrogen production and export project – a goal the kick-along from the government might help.

“‘Major Project Status’ marks a significant milestone in the project development. The current objective is to pursue studies in order to consider Final Investment Decision (FID) by 2027,” Ho said this week.

The company says it will continue to progress its project, working towards design of the downstream facility, transmission infrastructure and upstream generation facility.