Australia’s Collie battery and RE hub gets $1m funding

The funding will be used for the first stage of the feasibility study for the hub.

Up to $1m worth of funding has been allocated for the first stage of the feasibility study for the development of the Collie Battery and Hydrogen Industrial Hub project.

“It makes sense for Collie, which is at the heart of the South-West energy system, to become a renewable energy industrial hub as we transition away from the coal industry,” Regional Development Minister Alannah Mactiernan said.

“This project will provide a firm basis to progress a renewable energy hub in Collie.”

The study, conducted by Sunshot Energy, seeks to assess the economic case for establishing a hydrogen electrolyzer, powered by renewable energy. According to the Ministry, if the economic case ends up successful, the project will likely create an estimated $730m in new investments in green industries.

This will also generate some 500 construction and 400 ongoing jobs for the region.  

The hub will feature 600 to 800-megawatt-hour battery that will provide renewable energy to new and existing industrial projects in Collie.

It was noted that this is comparable to around four times the size of Tesla’s bi battery in South Australia.