KBR secures work on Australia’s first industrial-scale green hydrogen project

US engineering company KBR and Belgium engineering firm Tractebel, part of ENGIE, have been appointed as the Owners Engineer for the Yuri project, a new renewable hydrogen facility in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

The Yuri project is being co-developed by utility company ENGIE and ammonia producer Yara Pilbara Fertilisers.

Together, the companies 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.

As Owners Engineer, Tractebel and KBR will draw on their 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.

The Yuri project includes a 10MW electrolysis plant and an 18 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) farm with its 8 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) providing the necessary energy for the electrolysis.

During the initial phase of the project, the plant will produce up to 640 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year, which will provide a zero-carbon feedstock into Yara’s existing ammonia production facility.

Production from the Yuri project is scheduled to commence in 2024.

The new facility is expected to support the establishment of a new industry value chain, harvesting the 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 the broader Asian market.

Partially funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the project is said to be one of the world’s first industrial-scale renewable hydrogen operations and is pivotal for Australia’s future sustainable energy landscape.

“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”, said Carey Gent, Senior Director, of Water, Energy & Resources. “We look forward to collectively applying our expertise to support ENGIE in delivering this landmark project.”

Follow Offshore Energy’s Clean Fuel on social media: