The government of Northern Territory in Australia has granted Major Project Status to an up to A$15bn (€9bn) green hydrogen scheme.
The off-grid Desert Bloom Hydrogen project would be located in central Australia and could deliver around 410,000 tonnes a year of hydrogen for domestic and international export markets.
Northern Territory said the technology provides an innovative solution for securing a sustainable water source for the production of renewable hydrogen in Central Australia.
The technology works by capturing water from the atmosphere in arid environments.
The project is backed by Sanguine Impact Investment, which has committed A$1bn required for the project’s initial stages, and to provide the capital to roll out the full project.
Depending on how the project rollout is sequenced, it is expected that at its peak, more than 1000 full-time jobs will be required for construction, both in Darwin and on-site in multiple locations, and more than 120 full-time jobs will be created to operate and maintain the project.
Construction for the first stage of the project will require approximately 100 full-time construction jobs, and six full-time jobs for ongoing operations.
The next steps include the Territory government working with Desert Bloom Hydrogen to develop the staged project to its potential export scale, including identifying suitable land in central Australia to harness solar energy and ensuring adherence to standard best practice regulatory processes and approvals.
Territory chief minister Michael Gunner said: “Being the comeback capital means creating more jobs in more places in the Territory – and Desert Bloom now marks the Territory’s first Hydrogen Major Project.
“We are supporting a world-leading renewable hydrogen project, in technology that captures water from the atmosphere in arid environments.
“With one of the best solar resources in the world – and the development of projects like Desert Bloom – the Territory will play a leading role in the emerging renewable hydrogen market.”
Territory Minister for Renewables and Energy Eva Lawler said: “The Territory Labor Government supports hydrogen technology in the Territory. With its potential to expand to a A$15bn project, Desert Bloom will further champion renewable hydrogen investment as part of the Territory’s transition to renewables – this is laid out in our Hydrogen Masterplan.
“The Desert Bloom Hydrogen technology provides an innovative approach to secure a sustainable water supply, which is an essential in the development of renewable hydrogen and will be particularly valuable in arid areas.
“As renewable hydrogen technologies are continuously evolving, having projects like this in the Territory is further cementing the Territory as a renewables super hub, while also creating long term jobs in the process.”