HYDROGEN
INDUSTRY — H2PERTH — KWINANA
834. Hon Dr BRAD PETTITT to the Minister for Hydrogen
Industry:
I refer to the media statement of
25 October 2021 titled ''WA to become global clean energy powerhouse'',
which announced Woodside's plans to establish a hydrogen and ammonia
production facility in Kwinana.
(1) What is the expected percentage
of hydrogen that will be produced at H2Perth by —
(a) renewable energy;
(b) non-renewable energy; and
(c) steam reformation?
(2) What is the
expected quantity of carbon offsets required to achieve carbon neutrality for
the project?
(3) What carbon offsets will be
used to achieve carbon neutrality?
(4) What is the expected increase
in emissions for WA as a result of this project?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the
question.
(1)–(4) I do hope that we are not going to go down the
normal Green path of making the best the enemy of the good. Here we have
a real step forward—something actually very tangible in this hydrogen
production space—and I hope we are open to this incredible opportunity.
To begin with, my understanding is that around one-third of the hydrogen
production will be from the renewable energy sources off the grid, but that
will build over time. It will start off with
around 250 megawatts, which is a pretty significant block of renewable
power that it will be taking off the south west interconnected system, and build
up over the next five to six years to around three gigawatts of renewable
energy that it will take off the grid. That will actually underpin some massive investment in renewable
energy projects right across the south west interconnected grid area, which
as the member knows goes from north of Geraldton to Esperance.
That is a very exciting project. That
will actually allow us to get something up and running very quickly, and get
more hydrogen refuelling capability, which will be serviced by green energy.
That will help us underpin what we are trying to do with trucks and buses and
other forms of transport.
Member,
this is a great project. As I say, we acknowledge that at the beginning, some
of it—about two-thirds—will use blue hydrogen rather
than green, but it will have a significant component of green, and one that will build. I would love to see the
Greens, for once, get behind something positive and support this great
initiative.