Fortescue hunting more green energy after signing 25-year supply deal
Fortescue is on the cusp of signing more renewable energy supply deals as it pushes ahead with plans to make green ammonia at Gibson Island in Queensland.
Genex Power said on Monday that it could build the biggest solar farm on Australia’s electricity grid after signing a 25-year deal to supply Fortescue’s operations at Gibson Island.
Genex boss Craig Francis:“This would position the Bulli Creek Solar Farm as the largest solar farm connected to the National Electricity Market.” Brian Cassey
The 337.5 megawatt deal represents about 20 per cent of the renewable power Fortescue needs under its plans to produce 385,000 tonnes a year of green ammonia by retrofitting Incitec Pivot’s Gibson Island fertiliser plant near Brisbane.
The Genex offtake agreement is another step toward Fortescue including Gibson Island in a handful of clean energy projects it intends to sanction before December 31.
Andrew and Nicola Forrest, Fortescue’s biggest shareholders, own the major renewables player formerly known as CWP and its assets in Queensland through their privately-owned Squadron Energy.
Mark Hutchinson. Dion Georgopoulos
Squadron shapes as another potential supplier to Gibson Island, which in the past used greenhouse-gas methane in the production of ammonia. Squadron declined to comment on Monday when asked if it was in the running for a deal with Fortescue to supply Gibson Island.
Fortescue intends to retrofit the Gibson Island plant and use a 550 megawatt hydrogen electrolysis facility on site to make green ammonia, which can be further processed into fertiliser or used as a fuel.
It is one of five projects, all related to hydrogen, ammonia or fertiliser, Fortescue plans to press the go-button on before December 31 even though it
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