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The George Town Council north of Launceston has approved a development application for Tasmania's first green hydrogen production, storage and distribution facility, with construction set to begin in the coming weeks with plans for completion in late 2023 or early 2024.
Founded in 2019, Brisbane-based LINE Hydrogen is behind the project to build a 7.6 MW green hydrogen production facility, powered by a collocated solar farm currently under construction that will be operated by Climate Capital.
Once operational, the facility will be able to produce up to 1.24 million kg annually of green hydrogen by electrolysis, which will be captured, stored as a gas, and made available for vehicle refuelling and other applications such as energy production within Tasmania, replacing imported diesel.
The news comes as LINE Hydrogen prepares for a reverse takeover on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) at a £43 million ($82.4 million) pre-raise valuation, following a heads of terms execution earlier this month with an LSE-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) called Net Zero Infrastructure PLC (NZI).
"Today marks a significant achievement for LINE Hydrogen and the team behind it, and we’re thrilled to be the first project in Tasmania to receive development approval for the production, storage and distribution of green hydrogen at commercial scale. LINE Hydrogen has one of the largest shovel-ready green hydrogen projects in Australia," says LINE Hydrogen’s founder and executive chairman Brendan James.
Related story: An unconventional crowdfund: LINE Hydrogen sees green vision backed on Birchal
LINE Hydrogen has plans to become one of Australia’s largest commercial-scale producers and distributors of green hydrogen with key commercial arrangements already in place to supply their green hydrogen fuel and technologies for projects across industries, including hydrogen refuelling stations via Bonney Energy’s stations across Tasmania, as well as providing green hydrogen and technology for one of Australia’s first carbon-neutral mines in Western Australia.
"The world is watching what LINE Hydrogen is doing as we’re at the forefront of green hydrogen growth and development," says James.
"Our George Town Project is the first green hydrogen project for Tasmania as well as the first in our pipeline of green hydrogen production and activation projects across the country and internationally.
"The need to put in place a green energy solution to diesel replacement, particularly in the areas of heavy transport and heavy industry, has never been greater, so we’re looking forward to bringing our sustainable and accessible solutions to Australia and the world."
It has now been almost a year since LINE Hydrogen raised almost $1.4 million through a crowdfund on Birchal to help progress its plans for the Tasmanian facility.
Following an approval of permit conditions by the Tasmanian Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this month, the George own Council met yesterday to review and approve the proposal, and the development application was passed unanimously.
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