Green hydrogen company Infinite Blue Energy (IBE) has unveiled a plan to transition much of the Australian state of New South Wales to green hydrogen for baseload power by 2027 as part of Project NEO, a $2.7 billion AUD, 1GW plan incorporating solar PV, wind energy and hydrogen fuel cell technology.

The plan, which would initially focus on large users of fossil-fuels, sees seasonality and other weather-related variables that affect solar and wind generation overcome by converting power from these into green hydrogen, according to a release from the company. The project will commence with a feasibility study and detailed design over the next 18 months.

According to the company the project can potentially provide a significant proportion of the region’s electricity requirement within the next decade – something traditionally only achievable using stationary coal or gas power.

“The vision at IBE is to show the world, first and foremost, that Australia has the technology, skills and entrepreneurial mindset to be a true leader in the development of Green Hydrogen plants,” IBE CEO Stephen Gauld said. “We are currently in robust negotiations with major electricity users in the NSW Hunter Region that have confirmed their intentions to transition to Green Hydrogen baseload Electricity this decade. IBE is negotiating over 1000 MW of electricity currently generated by coal and natural gas to a source of Green Hydrogen baseload electricity,” he said.

The company anticipates that a significant proportion of the workforce required for Project NEO will be drawn from the existing coal fired power stations in NSW, since many of the skills are similar.

“Project NEO will produce local and indirect employment, allow existing industries to de-carbonise, and facilitate the establishment of new industries. It will localise manufacturing, give a 100% green supply of power to NSW, fuel the reduction of the state’s carbon emissions and can therefore play a pivotal role in ultimately helping Australia become leaders in carbon emission reduction,” Gauld said.

Originally posted on Smart Energy International.