Pilbara Hydrogen Hub

The Pilbara has long been recognised for its abundant natural resources and existing industrial infrastructure, making it an ideal location for large-scale hydrogen production. Hydrogen has the potential to significantly reduce business costs in the Pilbara, create a new energy export market for the region, diversify the economy, and generate new jobs.

In 2021-22, the Pilbara reaffirmed its competitive position within Australia’s developing hydrogen energy industry. The State Government committed $70 million in funding to support the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub, aimed at fast-tracking renewable hydrogen production and exports from Western Australia. In April 2022, the Commonwealth government matched this funding, bringing the total investment to $140 million and making the Pilbara the first hydrogen hub in regional WA.

In February 2024, the Australian and Western Australian Governments announced the finalisation of the $140 million agreement to support the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub. This initiative will focus on the provision of common-user infrastructure, skills development, and future expansion works required to grow hydrogen opportunities in the Pilbara region.

Key components include:

  • Establishing a hydrogen and/or ammonia pipeline between the Maitland and Burrup Strategic Industrial Areas, with a transfer capacity equivalent to 2–5 GW of renewable energy.
  • Facilitating the Clean Energy Training and Research Institute (CETRI) to provide vocational and university-level training, focusing on the skills needed for clean energy industries, including production, transportation, storage, and export of renewable hydrogen and its carriers.
  • Upgrading key infrastructure at Lumsden Point (Port Hedland) to enable the import of oversized renewable energy generation equipment like turbine towers and blades.
  • Conducting a hub expansion study to plan for future growth.

The Pilbara Hydrogen Hub is anticipated to become operational around mid-2028. Its planned pipeline capacity will enable hydrogen production of approximately 492,000 tonnes per annum.

The Commission is leading the design of the CETRI, with support from project partners, with an expectation that the CETRI will open its doors to welcome the first intake of students at the start of 2027.

The CETRI will enable industry linked training and sophisticated applied research and development activities, leveraging the expertise of the region’s existing workforce and attracting experts to utilise the state-of-the-art facilities.

We are committed to supporting the development of all components of the Hydrogen Hub to maximise the benefits for residents and businesses in the Pilbara. This is an exciting time for the development of a new, renewable, green energy industry that will transform the Pilbara’s economy, and the Commission will continue to lead the charge.

For more information on the project, please contact Darren Leitch at darren.leitch@pdc.wa.gov.au