Frontier Energy is looking to hire an E&C firm in order to build the Stage One portion of its Bristol Springs, Western Australia, solar power project, which would have an installed capacity of 114 MW.
The solar plant would supply electricity to a proposed 36.6MW electrolyser, which will generate 4.4 million kg of green hydrogen per year, and the company has selected two EPC bidders from a pool of five to work on the project. To move forward with project funding early in the new year, an EPC contract is essential.
According to Frontier’s estimations, the total cost of Stage One construction will be over $166 million, with the solar modules accounting for the bulk of that sum (around $42 million). Areas totaling over 195 hectares have been cleared of vegetation in preparation for the solar farm.
In the future, the site will connect to the existing Western Power 330kV transmission network through the Landwehr Terminal, which is located 4 km to the north-northeast of the solar plant, thereby eliminating the need to construct its own network.
It is expected that Frontier would issue an EPC tender for the development of the hydrogen stage after the conclusion of a critical study in the next three months. Once operational, Frontier anticipates the Bristol Springs project to be one of the lowest cost green hydrogen assets in Australia due to its advantageous location in close proximity to significant infrastructure.
Frontier has hired GHD, an engineering consultancy, to advise on the final choice of an EPC contractor for Stage One. The hydrogen plant is another area of research that GHD is tackling.
