Infinite Blue buying WA solar in hydrogen-for-transport project

Australia-based firm Infinite Blue Energy Pty Ltd will acquire an operational 10-MW solar farm in Western Australia and install at the site an electrolyser to produce hydrogen for heavy transport.

The sellers are Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) and Bookitja Pty Ltd, which acts as trustee of the Ngangk Trust, and the target is the Northam Solar Farm. Completion of the deal, announced earlier this week by the Shire of Northam, is subject to customary closing conditions.

As part of its MEG HP1 project, Infinite Blue will deploy a 10-MW electrolyser and some energy storage capacity to produce up to 4 tonnes of solar-powered hydrogen per day. Some of it will be used by waste management companies for back-to-base refuse collection vehicles and also by fleet vehicles local to MEG HP1. The offtakers and the company have signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and are negotiating binding contracts.

A front-end engineering and design (FEED) on the MEG HP1 project is currently in progress. Infinite Blue is expected to make a final investment decision later this year, with commissioning targeted for the fourth quarter of 2023.

Producing hydrogen for transport at Northam will support the Western Australian Government’s Renewable Hydrogen Strategy.

Infinite Blue also has plans to produce around 25 tonnes of hydrogen per day for the mobility sector under its Arrowsmith project, with potential to boost that to 125 tonnes to meet market demand and export opportunities.

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