The Danish developer Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has secured AUD814m (US$512m) in financing from the Australian Government for the development of a 1.5 GW green hydrogen project to be located near Kalbarri, in Western Australia. The Murchison Green Hydrogen (MGH) project is the first project to be awarded funding under Australia’s Hydrogen Headstart program. The production support financing will be received over a 10-year period.
The hydrogen and ammonia production facility will operate off-grid and would be powered by 6 GW of onshore wind and solar capacity. Eventually, the project’s stage 1 is planned to be powered by 1.2 GW of solar PV, 1.7 GW of onshore wind and 600 MW/1.2 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS). The produced ammonia is expected to be exported, notably to Asia and Europe.
Hydrogen Headstart is a competitive program designed to provide operating funding support to large‑scale renewable hydrogen projects in Australia. It is administered by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).