Aussie firms team up for Perth hydrogen, CCS project

Three Australian companies have teamed up to fund and undertake a feasibility study for the Mid-West blue hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the onshore Perth basin.

Project leader Pilot Energy said on November 4 it had been joined by APA Group and Warrego Energy for the survey, which is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. French engineering group TechnipEnergies and advisory firms Genesis and Risc Advisory are set to serve as "key consultants" for the study.

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The study's aim is to assess CCS potential at the Cliff Head oil project and additional reservoirs in the Perth basin, as well as blue hydrogen technology, hydrogen markets, project infrastructure and commercialisation. It will form the basis for future front end engineering and design (Feed) studies.

While Pilot will be responsible for carbon management at the project, APA will investigate infrastructure options and Warrego will look into arranging natural gas supply to produce the blue hydrogen.

“The Mid West blue hydrogen and CCS project has the potential to deliver significant and lasting positive benefits for the energy sector in Western Australia by reducing total emissions, generating clean energy, and creating new revenue streams,” Warrego’s CEO David Biggs, said.

Pilot will also undertake a standalone assessment of the Cliff Head offshore and onshore facilities to determine its CCS potential and provide data on potential CO₂ injection rates and storage capacity. It partnered with Risc Advisory for a pre-feasibility survey, which indicated that Cliff Head could store up to 500,000 metric tons/year of CO₂ over 13 years, at an injection cost of $16/mt. The survey suggested the project could be up and running by 2025.