Adelaide-based Zen Energy and DGA Energy Solutions Australia, a 100% subsidiary of Mitsubishi, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance their partnership in the renewable energy sector. The MoU focuses on renewable hydrogen and creating new sustainable value chains.
A Strategic Partnership
DGA, established in 2023, spearheads Mitsubishi’s renewable energy, green hydrogen, and green ammonia projects in Oceania. Kentaro Matsumura, Managing Director of DGA, emphasized the company’s ambition to become the region’s leading supplier of green hydrogen. “We’ll start first with local production to meet the needs of businesses in Australia and move to the export of hydrogen-based products from Australia to Asia,” he stated.
Partnering with Zen Energy, an early leader in the energy transition, DGA aims to leverage Zen’s scalable renewable generation platform to achieve its goals. Zen already supplies high-profile customers and is actively expanding its renewable energy projects.
Recent Collaborations
DGA’s collaboration with Zen Energy is part of its broader strategy to strengthen its foothold in Australia’s emerging green hydrogen market. Last year, DGA signed an agreement with Countrywide Hydrogen to fund studies for Victoria’s Portland Green Hydrogen project jointly. More recently, it entered into a head of agreement with Adelaide-based tech company Entx to acquire a 49% stake in the Limestone Coast Hydrogen Project (LCH2) in South Australia. This facility will produce green hydrogen for Kimberly-Clark Australia’s nearby manufacturing facility, with plans to increase production and eventually switch entirely to green hydrogen by 2029.
Project Highlights
- Templers Battery Project: Located 60 kilometers north of Adelaide, this project involves developing a 111 MW / 240 MWh battery energy storage system.
- Solar River Project: This ambitious project in South Australia will feature over 200 MW of solar generation and at least 300 MWh of energy storage capacity. Zen aims to close this project financially within the next 12 months.
- Western Sydney Pumped Hydro Project: Capable of generating 1 GW of on-demand power for up to eight hours, this project will significantly enhance energy storage and supply in New South Wales.
Zen Energy, founded in 2004, has secured offtake agreements with renewable energy projects across four states. Its clients include the South Australian government and CSIRO’s NSW sites. The company is also actively developing its own renewable energy projects and expanding its infrastructure.
Anthony Garnaut, CEO of Zen Energy, highlighted the importance of the partnership with DGA in accelerating Australia’s renewable energy ambitions. “Australia is now the leading supplier of energy and minerals to Japan. If we are to retain this position in 2050, we need to create new, sustainable ways of producing versions of the products we sell to Japan,” he said. Garnaut stressed the necessity of partnerships with organizations like DGA and Mitsubishi to realize this vision.
