Western Green Energy Hub

March 14th, 2025

Western Green Energy Hub

The Western Green Energy Hub is a proposal to design, construct and operate a large-scale wind and solar power project to produce value added products, with the base case assuming renewables-based hydrogen with ammonia and other e-fuels production. The proposed development is situated in the far southeast of Western Australia in the Shire of Dundas and City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Main proponents:

InterContinental Energy, CWP Global, Mirning Green Energy Limited (MGEL)

 Main end-use classification:

Export markets main target

 Status:

Under development

 Estimated cost:

 
Other involvement:

 

 Production details:

Up to 4 million tonnes of renewables-based hydrogen production per annum at full capacity; Stage 1 plans are for 0.33 million tonnes per annum of hydrogen production

 Location:

Western Australia, Australia

 Announced funding:

 

Project description

The project proponents are planning to develop the Western Green Energy Hub as a large-scale hybrid wind and solar energy and renewables-based hydrogen production project in the far southeast of Western Australia, approximately 440 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie. Presently, renewables-based ammonia production is the base case hydrogen vector; this and other e-fuels opportunities are to be further investigated and optimised during the development stages of the project.

The full-scale proposal would be implemented within a development envelope approximately 22,690 square kilometres in size and may generate over 200 TWh of renewable energy, dependent on the mix and size of wind and solar capacities.

Full-scale development proposal – main elements

The main onshore components include:

  • Wind turbines – up to approximately 3,000 wind turbines sited in a nominal grid (separated approximately 1.5-2.5 kilometres apart)
  • Solar Farms – up to approximately 35 solar PV farms and related infrastructure
  • Hydrogen electrolyser system – a suite of centrally-sited electrolysers, data centres, substations, compressors, cooling and storage facilities, etc.
  • Ammonia (or other e-fuels) production and storage facility – e-fuels plants developed as ‘trains’ and/or downstream facilities.

The main coastal and marine elements include a desalination plant, a marine offloading facility and an offshore ammonia and other e-fuels export pipeline to transport the produced e-fuels to an export terminal.

The operational capacities of the full-scale development include renewable power production of approximately 70 GW per annum, hydrogen production of approximately 4 million tonnes per annum and ammonia production of approximately 22 million tonnes per annum. Other e-fuel production capacities will depend on technology types still to be considered for the site.

Greater detail on the full-scale development proposal can be found in the Western Green Energy Hub project referral documentation submitted to the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (and published by the Authority in November 2024).

Infrastructure for the planned development would be developed in stages over a possible construction period of 30 years.

Stage 1 development concept – present planning

In July 2023, it was announced that the Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding towards a Joint Development Agreement for the production of renewables-based hydrogen in Australia. Following on from July 2023 MoU, in September 2024, the WGEH and KEPCO announced the signing of a Collaboration Agreement in support of project advancement.

The Collaboration Agreement sets out a detailed plan for pursuing a full feasibility study for executing Stage 1 of the project. The resulting feasibility study would guide further development work on Stage 1 of the project.

The project proponent has advised that, on present planning, Stage 1 of project development is planned to generate around 6-8 GW of hybrid wind and solar power, enabling the production of up to 330,000 tonnes per annum of renewables-based hydrogen. Stage 1 planning and technical solutions may alter as further cultural, environmental, planning and engineering matters are reviewed.

Stage 1 project (and other update) information can be found in the October 2024 Project Information Update.

In a March 2025 media release, the project advised that Stage 1 FID and financial close is presently scheduled for 2029.

The planned output of the Western Green Energy Hub would be targeted mainly for the export market as ‘e-fuels’ markets expand during the 2030s. As well, the project would have the capability to supply domestic end-use markets.

In December 2021, the Western Australian Government announced the project would receive Lead Agency Services from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

In March 2025, the project proponent advised that the project has been granted Major Project Status by the Commonwealth Government and that the project will be assessed as a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

 

Reviewed (reviewed by a project proponent): March 2025