Arrowsmith - one of the world's first green hydrogen projects

Early engineering support

Our consultancy team brought together its expertise across renewable energy, low-carbon engineering, and gas processing to successfully deliver the FEED for one of the world’s first green hydrogen production facilities.

Harnessing Australia’s abundant resources

Western Australia possesses abundant renewable resources, facilitating reliable and cheap renewable power generation and driving competitive green hydrogen prices. 

The Arrowsmith Green Hydrogen Plant (Stage 1) is designed to produce 25 tonnes/day of green hydrogen from bore water using electrolysis and zero-carbon energy sourced from an onsite solar and wind.  

The FEED is for a green hydrogen plant producing a steady supply of high-pressure hydrogen (5tpd @ 370barg) and cryogenic liquid hydrogen (20tpd @ -253°C) utilising fluctuating renewable energy sources. 

Australia and UK collaboration 

This is Petrofac’s first green hydrogen FEED and marks an important step on our journey to support new and renewable energy projects.  

We are delivering the project collaboratively across our teams in Australia and the UK. 

Addressing the challenges

We’ve overcome several challenges not typical in the design of hydrocarbon gas processing facilities.  

These include the intermittency of renewable energy, the selection of the appropriate hydrogen production technology, feed and wastewater management, large-scale hydrogen storage, equipment supply chain limitations and HSE challenges.  

We addressed all through a combination of systems design, unconventional use of equipment and good engineering practices - valid regardless of process, technology, or sector. 

Moving to the next stage

We are now supporting the project transition, from FEED to execute phase. Our team is conducting value improvement and optimisation studies and developing the long-lead Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) material requisitions. 

Petrofac hopes to support IBE through the EPCm phase of the project in 2021 and on the future expansion for Stage II, which will involve liquefaction of 130 tonnes/day for international export. 

(Images courtesy of IBE)