Mid-West Hub

Overview

Located approximately 23 kilometres north of Geraldton, the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area is a developing strategic and heavy industrial precinct in the Mid-West region of Western Australia. The Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area, and proposed multi-user deep-water port, stands as a key hub for renewable industry growth and includes a large ‘buffer’ area capable of hosting facilities to capture the region’s considerable wind and solar resources.

In 2020, the Western Australian Government undertook an Expression of Interest process to progress development of the area as a multi-product renewables-based hydrogen industrial precinct. Following a significant level of industry interest, the State Government’s Industrial Lands Panel allocated land to several proponents, subject to agreement being reached on key terms with DevelopmentWA (as the State’s central land development agency).

The Oakajee Trilateral Hydrogen Hub study (TrHyHub Study) is one component of a set of studies being undertaken by the Western Australian Government relating to the development of the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area. The TrHyHub Study was a joint initiative between the Western Australian Government, Netherlands’ Port of Rotterdam, and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. The TrHyHub Study examined the potential to accelerate renewable hydrogen production at the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area, with a focus on export opportunities to Germany.

The study found that exporting green ammonia through the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area could be feasible through a single point mooring solution, with the Mid-West region offering, amongst other things, the combination of excellent renewable energy potential and high land availability. The study also identified the Mid-West region’s potential for large-scale renewable electricity generation, which could support significant hydrogen production.

Funding

In 2023, the Western Australian Government committed AUD$55 million to the activation of the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area. In addition to the TrHyHub Study, the Western Australian Government has been advancing several site activation initiatives, including the construction of the Oakajee Access Road to support future industrial activities.

In March 2025, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced $814 million in production support under Round 1 of the Hydrogen Headstart Program to Murchison Green Hydrogen Project by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners for a 1.5 GW development located in the Mid-West region, approximately 120 kilometres north of the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area (the award being subject to a number of development conditions).

Projects

The geographic location of Western Australian projects listed in HyResource can be viewed on the HyResource projects map.

 

Reviewed: June 2025