Greenhill Energy has announced plans to invest $425 million in constructing a waste-to-hydrogen processing facility in South Australia, aiming to convert landfill waste and sustainable biomass into various products.
The proposed facility includes the Riverbend Energy Hub on a 20-hectare site at Tailem Bend in the Murraylands region. It seeks to produce fertilisers, synthetic fuels, and low-cost clean hydrogen for power and transport.
Nicholas Mumford, Greenhill Energy’s Executive Managing Director, anticipates the waste-to-hydrogen facility, if approved, will divert up to 200,000 tonnes of waste annually within five years. This would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce over 100,000 tonnes of urea fertilisers using onsite CO2.
“We have been granted State Government crown sponsorship across the project and, pending approvals, 2025 will see the construction of a singular gasifier, in our first phase,” Mumford said.
“This will be able to process up to 60,000 tonnes of dry biomass or waste per year, which is around 1,500 fully loaded semi-trailer trucks.”
“Riverbend Energy Hub’s stage one will also include an integrated power plant that will be able to provide firm power into the wholesale electricity market, and in turn, support further development of intermittent renewable energy generation types,” he said.
“We estimate thet the project will create around 300 jobs, during construction. Once established and operating at full scale it is estimated there will be around 50 to 100 direct jobs, and no doubt further indirect jobs through sustainable biomass development and the like.”
According to Greenhill Energy, the company aims to upcycle Australia’s waste into valuable products such as clean hydrogen and fertilisers, utilising proven waste-to-hydrogen technologies like gasification.
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