State Government announces Oakajee land approved for six proponents to help create hydrogen export industry

Land at Oakajee has been unlocked for six companies, including “super major” BP and Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries, to transform the dormant site into a “globally competitive renewable hydrogen precinct”. In Geraldton on Tuesday for the 2022 Mid West Major Projects conference, Hydrogen Industry Minister Alannah MacTiernan announced the State Government’s Industrial Lands Panel had green-lit land allocation at the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area (SIA). A sore spot for many locals over multiple generations, Oakajee has been surrounded in false hope and doubt as past projects and proposals have fallen by the wayside. But Ms MacTiernan said the land allocation was a key piece to the puzzle, as the “successful proponents have got the capacity to drive these new industrial opportunities forward”. As well as BP and Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), the panel has agreed to allocate land to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Green LOHC, Kinara Power and Blue Diamond Australia “subject to negotiations and agreement being reached on key terms with DevelopmentWA”. The Government says Oakajee, 23km north of Geraldton, has an abundance of wind and sunshine, making it ideal for the production of renewable hydrogen for domestic and commercial use, advanced manufacturing and export. The greenfields site has four key designated land uses, including a 1134ha heavy industrial core, 4070ha buffer zone, 1000ha port and 196ha for industrial support areas. The government says the Oakajee SIA, once up and running, will generate significant investment, employment and value production for the Mid West and WA. The Oakajee site is one of 13 SIAs across WA, set up as appropriate locations for investment in strategic, heavy industrial and downstream processing industries. Ms MacTiernan said since Oakajee was earmarked as an ideal location for renewable energy and hydrogen production, the Government had been hard at work with proponents to take the next steps towards establishing a globally competitive green hydrogen industry. “Renewable hydrogen produced at Oakajee will not only be a boon for the Mid West, but also has the potential to become another world-class export from WA’s regional areas,” she said. FFI Australia West director Maia Schweizer said the company had been working closely with stakeholders to bring export scale green hydrogen and ammonia to the Mid West. “Our aim is to generate electricity from the Mid West’s abundant natural resource base and use it to create products to rapidly displace fossil fuels and help address the effects of climate change,” she said. “It is a renewable energy race and Oakajee has a lot of the ingredients needed to be a leader. “The Mid West region has the opportunity to join the global green hydrogen revolution. This land allocation is a really important milestone in firming up our proposed project.” State Development, Jobs and Trade Minister Roger Cook said Oakajee had attracted strong interest from major global hydrogen producers, with the perfect mix of wind and solar potential that is the envy of the world, and “has the potential to not only transform our economy, but create more long-term jobs for Western Australians.” The government received and assessed 65 expressions of interest from companies from Australia, Japan, Korea, India, Germany, Spain, UK, France and US which were interested in participating in the project. It’s understood about 10 of those were global energy giants, known as “super majors”. The McGowan Government allocated $47.5 million to activate the Oakajee SIA, with early road infrastructure progressing as a first step to creating a hydrogen hub. A $7.5m access road will kick-start activation of the precinct. On Tuesday, Ms MacTiernan also announced the Government had committed an extra $5.5m of funding to new planning works and studies to “help fast-track development” of the Mid West Hydrogen Hub. Funds will go towards a feasibility study on connecting Oakajee to the South West Interconnected System, land planning and cultural heritage works, water supply studies, preparing for project approval plans and a joint hydrogen export study with the Port of Rotterdam and Mid West Ports Authority.