France’s Total Eren To Develop 2 GW Solar Farm, 1 GW Green Hydrogen Project In Australia

France-based renewables developer Total Eren is evaluating the possibilities for setting up a 2 GW solar park that will help power a 1 GW green hydrogen project in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT). This will bring up the state’s total capacity of green H2 projects under construction to 13.8 GW.

The proposed Darwin H2 Hub will move forward thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Total Eren and the NT state government signed recently.

According to current plans, 2 GW of solar PV will power the H2 Hub on a 4000ha site- the location of which has not been made public. This will supply the energy required to run an unspecified type of 1 GW electrolyzer that can produce more than 80,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually.

“With our abundant solar resources and our strategic location to support exports into the Indo-Pacific, the production of green hydrogen is a key opportunity for the Territory to address the growing demand for this green energy globally,” according to Natasha Fyles, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.

In a significant break from the previous administration, the Australian government at the end of July announced legislation that will secure Australia’s pledge to achieve net zero by 2050 as well as provide greater monitoring and accountability over progress on climate change.

The company’s Managing Director of Total Eren Kam Ho said that it intends to “accelerate the development of the project to supply green hydrogen and also the opportunity to provide renewable energy which supports the decarbonization plans for energy-intensive industries in the Territory.”

Furthermore, Total Eren also claim that it is not the only large energy company with green hydrogen projects planned for Australia. When the project is finished, it could include up to 26GW of solar and wind power, according to bp’s announcement in June that it will buy a 40.5% ownership in and operate the green hydrogen facility in Western Australia.

It is believed that the acceleration of green hydrogen production will be essential for the decarbonization of several heavy industries and, consequently, for the larger energy transition. In a report published in June, risk management company DNV said that the global uptake of hydrogen is much lower than what is required by the Paris Agreement and that underinvestment in the technology represents a lost chance to decarbonize difficult-to-abate areas of the global economy.