Illawarra Hub

Overview

The New South Wales Hydrogen Strategy identifies the Illawarra region of the State as a major hub development opportunity. The Illawarra region as a whole is a coastal expanse just south of Sydney and includes the major industrial centres of Wollongong and Port Kembla.

In addition to its long-standing steelmaking and coal mining industries, the Illawarra region also includes advanced manufacturing activities, indicating a potentially significant domestic market for hydrogen use.

The region has access to existing deep sea port infrastructure at Port Kembla, which is also a major freight and logistics centre.

The Illawarra area as a whole has access to existing high voltage transmission infrastructure and the New South Wales Government is in the process of planning/developing the proposed Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone. The proposed Renewable Energy Zone will contain infrastructure supporting development of renewable energy projects.

Funding

The New South Wales Government, through its hydrogen hubs initiative, has made AUD$150 million in grant funding available to support commercial-scale renewables-based hydrogen projects in the State. In March 2023, AUD$28.5 million in funding was allocated to the Illawarra Hydrogen Technology Hub project located in Wollongong.

Projects

The Illawarra region is home to several prospective hydrogen projects included in HyResource, with mobility, ammonia production, and power use targeted.

 

August 2023