Huge green hydrogen project on WA’s remote south-east coast will have big benefits, sustainability expert says

Regional West Australians could be in for more jobs and a stronger economy if a huge zero-emission energy project on the Nullarbor goes ahead, a sustainability expert says. The Western Green Energy Hub is proposed for an area immediately north-west of Eucla on WA’s remote south-east coast. If realised, the massive project would include 3000 wind turbines, 35 solar farms and a facility producing zero-emission green hydrogen across 22,690sqkm, with a workforce of 8000 estimated to be needed. Early estimates have put the cost of building it at $100 billion. But the area is also home to the world’s largest limestone karst landscape and has one of Australia’s longest cave systems lying beneath, stretching 34km across four levels of chambers and tunnels. Experts and enthusiasts have vowed to protect these from the development — which has been labelled an “imminent threat”, and will be subject to scrutiny at both the State and Federal levels. Curtin University Professor of Sustainability Peter Newman told the Kalgoorlie Miner it was vital the cave environment was protected but the project had serious economic benefits and would help tackle climate change. “It’s absolutely critical we don’t lose the kind of features about the caves and the flora and fauna of the area, but that doesn’t stop you from putting in solar and wind towers because we know how to do that, and we do it well,” he said. “We do it while we look after those special features.” Professor Newman said the project would not only help WA catch up with the emerging net-zero economy, but it would also give regional West Australians new job opportunities in the industry. “We’ve already got jobs in agriculture, pastoralism and mining but we don’t get much industry that is processing minerals and providing jobs,” he said. “So there will be so many new jobs created. “We have the opportunity to set up a superpower in this area. “We need to get on and demonstrate to the world that this can be done.” The companies behind the Western Green Energy Hub are InterContinental Energy (46 per cent shareholding) and CWP Global (44 per cent), both international developers and investors of large-scale green hydrogen hubs, and Mirning Green Energy (10 per cent), a dedicated commercial entity of the Mirning Traditional Lands Aboriginal Corporation. The hub’s stage one final investment decision is presently scheduled for 2029.