A giant leap for renewable energy: large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia production in Australia

A coastal village sprawls out around a shoreline

GHD’s Advisory and Future Energy teams made key contributions to bp Australia's Renewable Hydrogen and Ammonia Feasibility Study. The detailed study confirms production of green hydrogen and ammonia using renewable energy is technically feasible at scale in Australia. It is the first stage in evaluating the potential to invest in the emerging renewable hydrogen domestic and international export markets.

This is a critical step in the global energy transition and will help to position Australia as a green energy leader.

Building a feasibility model

The team delivered a feasibility model that enables sensitivity analysis for crucial scenarios and a detailed techno-economic evaluation of the pilot and commercial-scale green ammonia production plants. This includes evaluating the different technologies and process configurations required for the project.

The study findings will help bp develop plans for integrated green hydrogen projects in Western Australia, defining the technical and infrastructure solutions, customer demand, and business models required for successful delivery. The development will require significant infrastructure investment in port, water and electricity networks and distribution.

The study confirmed strong demand from potential customers in the hard-to-abate sectors, local and export markets – with the potential to position Australia as a regional powerhouse of the energy transition.

Fuelling the future with hydrogen energy

Analysing the economic opportunity presented by renewable hydrogen will help determine how hydrogen can be scaled up to satisfy future demand, providing end-to-end integrated low-carbon technologies and energy solutions for the wider community.

Jason Fonti, GHD Advisory's origination and value chain leader, said, "The magic figure is producing hydrogen below USD2 per kilo, and the pathway to get there is becoming clearer.”

The report represents a vital building block in our pathway to creating a fully integrated renewable hydrogen supply chain, allowing Australia to become leaders in the future export industry.