Close Menu
Energy NewsEnergy News
  • NEWS
    • Breaking News
    • Hydrogen
    • Energy Storage
    • Grid
    • SMR
    • Projects
    • Production
    • Transport
    • Research
  • SPOTLIGHT
    • Interviews
    • Face 2 Face
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Reviews
    • Events
  • REGIONAL
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Middle east
    • Pacific
  • COMMUNITY
  • ABOUT
    • Advisory Board
    • Contact us
    • Report Your News
    • Advertize
    • Subscribe
LinkedIn X (Twitter) YouTube Facebook
Trending
  • Tesla’s $4.3B South Korean Battery Deal Exposes Critical Supply Chain Vulnerabilities as Tariff Pressures Mount
  • Austria’s €3.5B Hydrogen Gambit: Infrastructure Investment Against European Market Skepticism
  • Brazil’s Hydrogen Pipeline Swells to 111 Projects—But Deep Challenges Stall Progress
  • Nuclear-Hydrogen Integration Faces Reality Check as AI Demand Reshapes Energy Infrastructure
  • Germany’s Hydrogen Acceleration Act: Regulatory Relief Amid Market Reality Gap
  • Why Canada’s Zero-Emission Transit Revolution Is Stuck in Neutral
  • Portugal Allocates €400 Million to Reinforce Grid Stability and Expand Battery Storage After April Blackout
  • BP’s Exit from Australia’s $55 Billion AREH Highlights Market Uncertainty in Large-Scale Green Hydrogen
LinkedIn X (Twitter) YouTube Facebook
Energy NewsEnergy News
  • NEWS
    • Breaking News
    • Hydrogen
    • Energy Storage
    • Grid
    • SMR
    • Projects
    • Production
    • Transport
    • Research
  • SPOTLIGHT
    • Interviews
    • Face 2 Face
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Reviews
    • Events
  • REGIONAL
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Middle east
    • Pacific
  • COMMUNITY
  • ABOUT
    • Advisory Board
    • Contact us
    • Report Your News
    • Advertize
    • Subscribe
Energy NewsEnergy News
Home Home - Hydrogen
Green Hydrogen H2 News

Australian firms eye $5b Southland hydrogen plant

Arnes BiogradlijaBy Arnes Biogradlija20/06/20224 Mins Read
Share
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email WhatsApp Telegram

Woodside Energy and Fortescue Future Industries are competitors in the last stage of discussions to become the principal developer of the world’s largest green hydrogen facility, which will be constructed in Southland.

Contact and Meridian Energy are expected to pick the principal developer for the Southern Green Hydrogen project following the submission of more specific proposals in late August.

Depending on its size, a hydrogen plant might provide an alternate use for all the electricity currently needed to operate the Tiwai Point aluminum smelter, should it close in 2024.

A spokeswoman for Meridian Energy stated that the proposal was not dependant on the shutting of the smelter.

Professor Sally Brooker, co-leader of the German-New Zealand Green Hydrogen partnership, said that the announcement of the project’s counterparties was particularly exciting because it demonstrated the project’s commercial viability.

“That’s arguably the best news out of all of this,” Brooker said. “At no point are commercial entities saying ‘oh no, we don’t want any of that.'”

This indicates to me that it is not only climate change campaigners and sustainability supporters who are pushing this, but that it is also the commercially prudent path forward.

A green hydrogen plant in Southland would use renewable electricity, largely from the Manapouri hydro system of Meridian, to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, with the hydrogen being used as a fuel.

Investment would be one of the greatest obstacles for the project, but worldwide interest was high, Brooker added.

“It will be an economically transformational undertaking. But it must be done in a sustainable manner.”

She stated that, due to the size of the plant, any potential approvals would be time-consuming.

Brooker believed that this project’s tight alignment with iwi and Murihiku Regeneration was a tremendous advantage.

Terry Nicholas, a representative of Hokonui and the leader of Ngi Tahu’s green energy programme, stated that green hydrogen was crucial to the future of Southland-Murihiku and Ngi Tahu.

Southland will be New Zealand’s renewable energy powerhouse, I have no question about it.

Nicholas has contributed significantly to the project. Nicholas was made to believe the cost of the plant and surrounding infrastructure would be $5 billion.

Four Southland locations had been discovered, none of which were the Tiwai smelter, as Nicholas was unable to reveal.

He stated that the initiative might generate 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Neal Barclay, the chief executive officer of Meridian Energy, stated that both counterparties were in conversations with consumers over the purchase of the high volumes that the Southland project will produce.

Mike Fuge, the chief executive officer of Contact Energy, stated that Woodside Energy and Fortescue Future Industries proved the technical proficiency required to construct the project in time to achieve “first-mover advantage in emerging global markets.”

“The remaining two counterparts has the competence, expertise, and motivation to expedite this project. “Importantly, they’ve both laid out viable routes for bringing this project to commercial operation,” added Fuge. Iwi interests will collaborate with Southern Green Hydrogen and the remaining potential developers to secure the best possible conclusion, according to a statement from Southern Green Hydrogen.

Midway through 2021, Contact Energy and Meridian Energy announced they were seeking partners to develop the world’s largest green hydrogen plant in Southland, after a feasibility report revealed a green hydrogen plant had the potential to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in export revenue and aid in the decarbonization of domestic and international economies.

According to the analysis, Southland’s availability to renewable energy gives it the opportunity to be at the forefront of the expanding green hydrogen market.

However, earlier this year, Simon Upton of the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment warned that a huge green hydrogen production could cause more problems and emissions than it solves.

Hydrogen, if produced from renewable power, is a low-carbon energy source that could one day be used for metal production, shipping, and aviation. However, this process is inefficient: up to 30% of energy is lost in the production of green hydrogen.

Upton said in a letter to ministers that renewable electricity might be utilized more effectively to electrify vehicles and boilers during the next decade.

The Tiwai smelter uses approximately 13 percent of the nation’s annual electricity supply.

Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Related Posts

Battery

Tesla’s $4.3B South Korean Battery Deal Exposes Critical Supply Chain Vulnerabilities as Tariff Pressures Mount

30/07/2025
hydrogen

Austria’s €3.5B Hydrogen Gambit: Infrastructure Investment Against European Market Skepticism

30/07/2025
Hydrogen

Brazil’s Hydrogen Pipeline Swells to 111 Projects—But Deep Challenges Stall Progress

30/07/2025
Nuclear

Nuclear-Hydrogen Integration Faces Reality Check as AI Demand Reshapes Energy Infrastructure

30/07/2025
hydrogen

Germany’s Hydrogen Acceleration Act: Regulatory Relief Amid Market Reality Gap

30/07/2025
Hydrogen

BP’s Exit from Australia’s $55 Billion AREH Highlights Market Uncertainty in Large-Scale Green Hydrogen

29/07/2025
Battery

Tesla’s $4.3B South Korean Battery Deal Exposes Critical Supply Chain Vulnerabilities as Tariff Pressures Mount

30/07/2025
hydrogen

Austria’s €3.5B Hydrogen Gambit: Infrastructure Investment Against European Market Skepticism

30/07/2025
Hydrogen

Brazil’s Hydrogen Pipeline Swells to 111 Projects—But Deep Challenges Stall Progress

30/07/2025
Nuclear

Nuclear-Hydrogen Integration Faces Reality Check as AI Demand Reshapes Energy Infrastructure

30/07/2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from the hydrogen market subscribe to our newsletter.

LinkedIn X (Twitter) Facebook YouTube

News

  • Inteviews
  • Webinars
  • Hydrogen
  • Spotlight
  • Regional

Company

  • Advertising
  • Media Kits
  • Contact Info
  • GDPR Policy

Subscriptions

  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Sponsored News

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from EnergyNewsBiz about hydrogen.

© 2025 EnergyNews.biz
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Accessibility

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.