Fortescue opens electrolyzer plant in Australia

The complex was built and fully commissioned in just over two years

Australian mining company Fortescue has announced the opening of an electrolysis plant in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. The company said in a statement.

The modern production complex with an area of 15 thousand square meters was built and fully commissioned in just over two years. It is expected to produce more than 2 GW of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis plants per year. According to Fortescue, this plant is also the first in the world to have an automated assembly line.

«The process of splitting hydrogen and oxygen isn’t new – but the innovative ways the world is looking to use green hydrogen to decarbonise are, and that means demand for green hydrogen and for the electrolysers to produce it is growing rapidly,» said Mark Hutchinson, CEO of Fortescue.

According to him, this plant positions Fortescue and Gladstone as a major producer of a product that will be an increasingly sought-after commodity in the global transition to green energy.

According to Mr. Hutchinson, Fortescue is strategically focused on developing its energy business.

«We not only develop a number of green energy projects, but also design and manufacture specialized equipment and technologies that will form the basis for ours and other green hydrogen production projects,» the company’s general director said.

The Gladstone plant will produce electrolyzers developed in-house by Fortescue’s team in Australia and the United States.

The development of the site was supported by the Queensland government, including the construction of a power substation, road network, utilities, connection to the local water supply system, and land allocation. In addition, the Australian government has allocated A$44 million from the Modern Manufacturing Initiative cooperation stream.

The electrolyser plant is the first phase of the Green Energy Manufacturing Center being developed by Fortescue in Gladstone. The next steps will include a hydrogen systems test center and the company’s PEM50 project to produce green hydrogen.

As GMK Center reported earlier, Fortescue approved investments totaling about $750 million over the next three years in three green projects. The company is investing in a hydrogen hub in Phoenix (Arizona, USA), the 50 MW Gladstone PEM50 project in Queensland (Australia), and a direct reduced iron pilot plant in Crissmas Creek (Western Australia).