Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 3 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 1 related plant in PECWeb
Released April 11, 2024 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The energy arm of Australian mining giant Fortescue Metals Group Limited (Perth) has opened the doors on the country's largest hydrogen electrolyser-manufacturing facility in Queensland.
The Gladstone Electrolyser Facility is the first manufacturing facility in Australia to build electrolysers at a commercial scale and, the company claims, one of the first globally to house an automated assembly line. Constructed over the last two years with support from Queensland's government, the facility will have capacity to produce more than 2 gigawatts (GW) of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser stacks annually. The electrolyser output will be enough to produce 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen each year. Fortescue is aiming to produce 15 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2030. The plant forms the center of the wider Green Energy Manufacturing (GEM) Centre being developed by Fortescue in Gladstone. The next phase will be the nearby construction of a 50-megawatt (MW) green hydrogen production facility called PEM50, which received planning approval last week from Queensland's Coordinator General.
"Fortescue's Gladstone electrolyser facility is not only a Queensland first, but also an Australian first -- right here in our backyard," commented Australia's Premier Steven Miles. "It will be by far Australia's largest manufacturer of hydrogen electrolysers and one of the largest in the world."
Fortescue Energy Chief Executive Officer Mark Hutchinson added: "The process of splitting hydrogen and oxygen isn't new--but the innovative ways the world is looking to use green hydrogen to decarbonise are, and that means demand for green hydrogen and for the electrolysers to produce it is growing rapidly. This facility positions Fortescue and Gladstone as a large-scale producer of what will be an increasingly sought-after commodity in the global shift to green energy. We're strategically focussed on building out our Energy business. Not only are we developing a pipeline of green energy projects, we're also now designing and manufacturing the specialized equipment and technology that will underpin our green hydrogen projects and that of others."
Industrial Info reported last year that the plant had produced its first electrolyser despite losing its project partner and leading electrolysis technology firm Plug Power (NYSE:PLUG) (Latham, New York). The company is involved in a number of high-profile green hydrogen projects globally including the US$200 million Gibson Island fertilizer plant in Queensland. Owned by Incitec Pivot Limited (Southbank, Australia), the plant had faced closure in 2022 due to the high cost of methane gas feedstock. It is now working with Fortescue to repurpose the plant using green hydrogen to produce ammonia. Using a 500-MW electrolyser--powered by solar and wind--it will produce 70,000 tonnes per year (T/yr) of green hydrogen that the plant will use to make 400,000 T/yr of green ammonia. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing project and plant databases can click here for the project report and click here for the plant profile.
In December, the company's green hydrogen and ammonia project in Norway was awarded 200 million euro (US$217 million) in funding from the European Union (EU). The planned 300-MW facility at Holmaneset will use excess energy from hydropower and windfarms. Construction is due to start next year.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
The Gladstone Electrolyser Facility is the first manufacturing facility in Australia to build electrolysers at a commercial scale and, the company claims, one of the first globally to house an automated assembly line. Constructed over the last two years with support from Queensland's government, the facility will have capacity to produce more than 2 gigawatts (GW) of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser stacks annually. The electrolyser output will be enough to produce 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen each year. Fortescue is aiming to produce 15 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2030. The plant forms the center of the wider Green Energy Manufacturing (GEM) Centre being developed by Fortescue in Gladstone. The next phase will be the nearby construction of a 50-megawatt (MW) green hydrogen production facility called PEM50, which received planning approval last week from Queensland's Coordinator General.
"Fortescue's Gladstone electrolyser facility is not only a Queensland first, but also an Australian first -- right here in our backyard," commented Australia's Premier Steven Miles. "It will be by far Australia's largest manufacturer of hydrogen electrolysers and one of the largest in the world."
Fortescue Energy Chief Executive Officer Mark Hutchinson added: "The process of splitting hydrogen and oxygen isn't new--but the innovative ways the world is looking to use green hydrogen to decarbonise are, and that means demand for green hydrogen and for the electrolysers to produce it is growing rapidly. This facility positions Fortescue and Gladstone as a large-scale producer of what will be an increasingly sought-after commodity in the global shift to green energy. We're strategically focussed on building out our Energy business. Not only are we developing a pipeline of green energy projects, we're also now designing and manufacturing the specialized equipment and technology that will underpin our green hydrogen projects and that of others."
Industrial Info reported last year that the plant had produced its first electrolyser despite losing its project partner and leading electrolysis technology firm Plug Power (NYSE:PLUG) (Latham, New York). The company is involved in a number of high-profile green hydrogen projects globally including the US$200 million Gibson Island fertilizer plant in Queensland. Owned by Incitec Pivot Limited (Southbank, Australia), the plant had faced closure in 2022 due to the high cost of methane gas feedstock. It is now working with Fortescue to repurpose the plant using green hydrogen to produce ammonia. Using a 500-MW electrolyser--powered by solar and wind--it will produce 70,000 tonnes per year (T/yr) of green hydrogen that the plant will use to make 400,000 T/yr of green ammonia. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing project and plant databases can click here for the project report and click here for the plant profile.
In December, the company's green hydrogen and ammonia project in Norway was awarded 200 million euro (US$217 million) in funding from the European Union (EU). The planned 300-MW facility at Holmaneset will use excess energy from hydropower and windfarms. Construction is due to start next year.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
