KBR and Tractebel to help Engie deliver Australia’s first industrial scale green hydrogen project
KBR’s Infrastructure Solutions business is excited to grow its presence in the Australian renewable hydrogen market. KBR, with Tractebel, have recently been appointed as the Owners Engineer for the YURI Project – a new renewable hydrogen energy facility in the Pilbara, Western Australia.
The project is being co-developed by utility company ENGIE, a leader in energy transition and Yara Pilbara Fertilisers, one of the world’s leading ammonia producers. Together, they aim to deliver a green hydrogen plant that integrates with Yara’s existing ammonia plant on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The Pilbara is the ideal location for the project, with an abundance of sun and water – key ingredients for renewable energy-powered hydrogen production.
Partially funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the project is one of the world’s first industrial-scale renewable hydrogen operations and is pivotal for Australia’s future sustainable energy landscape. The project will see the development, construction and operation of the green hydrogen plant, which includes a 10MW electrolyser powered by 18MW of solar PV plus a battery energy storage system, all operating in an islanded mode.
The new facility will support the establishment of a new industry value chain, harvesting the abundant renewable power in Western Australia to produce green hydrogen, and will be key to developing a “Pilbara Green Hydrogen Hub”. The generation of renewable fuel for power generation and shipping will serve local usage and export markets, including Japan and broader Asian market.
During the initial phase of the project, the plant will produce up to 640 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year, that will provide a zero-carbon feedstock into Yara’s existing ammonia production facility. With production from the Yuri Project production scheduled to commence in 2024.
As Owners Engineer, Tractebel-KBR will draw on our collective experience and expertise in energy solutions and project delivery to serve as ENGIE’s trusted advisor to support its business objectives and provide strategic outcomes as the project progresses.
This is an exciting project for KBR in Australia and globally. With KBR’s long-standing pedigree in ammonia, hydrogen and project delivery, it brings substantive expertise and capability to be able to play a leading role in delivering solutions for energy transition related to the hydrogen value chain.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working collaboratively with ENGIE, Mitsui and Tractebel to oversee the delivery of one the first industrial scale green hydrogen projects in Australia.” says Carey Gent, Senior Director, Water, Energy & Resources. “We look forward to collectively applying our expertise to support ENGIE in delivering this land-mark project."
