One Small Step for Infinite Green Energy …One Giant Leap for Australia

Australia is “one giant leap” closer to reaching #NetCarbonZero after Infinite Green Energy announced it had partnered with Samsung Electronics, following its acquisition of a solar farm at Northam in WA, according to a leading pioneer of the renewable fuels industry.

The observation comes from Jennifer Lauber Patterson, Founder and Managing Director of Frontier Impact Group, in a video titled 'One Small Step for IGE', recording on video a conversation with Stephen Gauld, the Founder and Managing Director of Infinite Green Energy. The 20-min video can be viewed below.

Infinite Green Energy (IGE), the Perth-based project developer behind the gigantic Arrowsmith green hydrogen project, announced recently it had acquired an 11MW solar farm at Northam, near Perth, from joint indigenous owners, Indigenous Business Australia and Bookitja, part of Noongar Property Holdings. The company plans to use this energy to produce up to 4 tonnes of green hydrogen per day, using electrolysis. IGE will be developing the Northam solar plant into a manufacturing facility that will develop and scale up the Arrowsmith Site where, Infinite Green Energy will be producing 290 tonnes of hydrogen by 2030, for both the domestic and international market, which be in excess of $4 billion in capital.

IGE also announced last week that it had entered into a binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) including key joint development agreement terms with Samsung, to jointly develop and build the MEG HP1 green hydrogen plant. The agreement sees Samsung take a stake for an undisclosed sum in the solar-powered green hydrogen project being developed by IGE in WA’s Wheatbelt region, about 100 kilometres east of Perth.

“Infinite Green Energy is at the front of the pack of green hydrogen developers in Australia, and has moved one small step closer to producing green hydrogen,” Ms Lauber Patterson said.

“The significance of these two announcements, both the acquisition of Northam solar farm and the partnership with Samsung, should not be underestimated for IGE.

“Stepping back for a second, and putting this into perspective, it is one giant leap for Australia in its energy transition,” she said.

“These announcements combined are ‘one small step for IGE … [but] one giant leap for Australia,” she said, referring to Australia’s plans to be Net Carbon Zero by 2050.

“Acquiring the solar farm at Northam is the latest step in the journey of establishing Arrowsmith that is, in my opinion, years ahead of any other green hydrogen project of this size planned in Australia,” she said.

For several years, IGE, one of the leaders of Australia’s emerging green hydrogen industry, has been working quietly behind the scenes but now has finally stuck its head above the parapet. Dozens of companies across Australia, many in Western Australia, have spent the years of Covid lockdown attracting investors, developing and refining technology, and moving projects through the EPA, state and local government approvals process.

Frontier Impact Group has been assisting IGE, chaired by former Woodside CEO, Peter Coleman, for more than two years with advisory services services around capital raising, debt funding, and modeling.

Jennifer Lauber Patterson has been working in climate solutions, renewable energy and carbon reduction projects for more than 25 years. She is considered a pioneer and thought leader in the renewable fuels sector. Frontier Impact Group, is building a renewable fuels biorefinery in Narrogin, WA, as part of FutureEnergy, a Joint Venture with ASX-listed, Carnarvon Energy Ltd.