Frontier Energy secures 15-year water supply agreement for Bristol Springs hydrogen project near Waroona

A proposed renewable energy project in the State’s South West has received a considerable boost, with a major supply agreement being signed. Frontier Energy has inked a 15-year deal with the Water Corporation for the State Government-owned utility to provide the freshwater required for the company’s Bristol Springs green hydrogen project, 8km from the Waroona townsite. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, will see the company allowed to draw up to 750kL a day from the Integrated Water Supply Scheme, which supplies Perth and parts of the South West. Frontier’s allocation will increase over time under the agreement, eventually reaching 1250kL a day. The company will use the water allocation in conjunction with a proposed on-site 114 megawatt solar farm to conduct electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. According to Frontier, stage one of the Bristol Springs project is forecast to create about 4.4 million kilograms of renewably-produced hydrogen each year, with the capacity to expand. The company is hoping to start construction this year and begin producing hydrogen in 2025. Any surplus electricity from the solar farm will be sold into the power grid. Frontier managing director Sam Lee Mohan thanked the utility provider and the State Government for their support of the project. He used the announcement to highlight the project’s close location to a number of major infrastructure assets, noting it was only 3km from one of the Water Corporation’s major water pipelines. “Without this, a desalination facility would be required, which would add millions to the project’s development cost, as well as add significantly to first production timeline, due to the requirement for additional approvals and environmental studies,” Mr Lee Mohan said. Water Minister Simone McGurk said the agreement was “a win-win” and a major milestone in the development of a renewable hydrogen industry in the State. “In one of the most climate-impacted regions on earth, renewable hydrogen will help decarbonise WA and support a strong, resilient and diversified economy,” she said. Hydrogen Industry Minister Roger Cook said the project was expected to be one of the lowest-cost producers of green hydrogen in the country. “Renewable hydrogen will be critical for hard-to-abate sectors, such as industrial processing and transport, to reduce their emissions and help the State achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” he said. If the project goes ahead, it is expected to create about 300 new jobs during construction and another 50 production jobs.