Oil and gas company Woodside (ASX:WPL) has revealed its plans to develop a solar facility in the Maitland Strategic Industrial Area, about 15km south-west of Karratha in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

In its submission to the W.A. Environmental Protection Authority earlier this week, the company revealed the proposal would generate electricity up to 500MW from a large solar photovoltaic (PV) farm and includes battery storage infrastructure up to 400MWH.

Power from the solar facility would be delivered via the Northwest Interconnected System (NWIS), through existing, upgraded, or new infrastructure constructed, owned and operated by Horizon Power for all users of the NWIS.

This includes its own Pluto LNG facility, which processes gas from its Pluto and Xena gas fields off the coast of Western Australia.

 

GEV’s green hydrogen development project takes off

Global Energy Ventures (ASX:GEV) has taken off the new year with a 2022 development program underway at its 2.8 GW green hydrogen project on the Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory.

For now, the majority of its focus is on environmental permitting to determine the overall timing of the project while consulting firms ILF and Jacobs have been engaged to prepare engineering studies to support its referral submission.

The referral submission is being prepared by Darwin based EcOz Environmental Services (EcOz) and covers the key areas of solar generation, power transmission and water desalination which will then be lodged with the NT Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA) in the first half of 2022.

Critical steps forward

GEV executive director and chief development officer Garry Triglavcanin said: “The referral submission is an important step forward as the environmental process is likely to drive the project schedule.”

“There are a number of key environmental studies that can only be conducted during the current wet-season,” he added.

“Further to our previously announced MOU with ILF Consulting Engineers in Germany (ILF), GEV is delighted to commence work with ILF to assist with solar generation and transmission engineering work for the Tiwi Hydrogen Project.”

“Additional engineering will also focus on water desalination requirements to supply pure water to the electrolysis plant.”

Targeting financial close by mid-2023

GEV continues to pursue a low environmental footprint for the Tiwi Hydrogen Project, with the proposed solar site planned to be constructed on existing plantation land.

The hydrogen production, compression and loading facilities are set to be built on existing industrial precinct and existing port area.

Next steps for Global Energy Ventures includes advancing discussions with groups to support the detailed engineering of the solar generation and electrolysis for the production of green hydrogen.

GEV says appointments will be made during the March and June quarters to begin detailed engineering, including experienced renewable project resources, to support the target of financial close (of the initial phase) by mid-2023.

The company will also get underway with preliminary marketing activities of green hydrogen from the Tiwi Hydrogen Project in the March quarter to identify relevant parties for potential off-take in the markets of Singapore, Japan, Korea and Indonesia.