Kalbarri residents fighting to stop on the world’s largest green hydrogen projects say they are devastated by the Federal Government’s $800-million-dollar funding pledge, announced yesterday. Murchison Hydrogen Renewables Project is being touted as a game-changer for WA’s renewable energy industry, but some locals are arguing it will destroy tourism in the mid-west town.
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00:00Half a million visitors flock to Kalbarri every year to enjoy its pristine coastline,
00:09spot local wildlife and tread the iconic skywalk.
00:15Soon it could also be known for something else.
00:19Green hydrogen.
00:20Hydrogen.
00:21Green hydrogen.
00:22The Murchison Hydrogen Renewables Project will include an onshore wind and solar farm
00:26with hundreds of turbines, a desalination plant and a green hydrogen production facility
00:33built 20km north of Kalbarri.
00:37The Federal Government has pledged up to $814 million, which will be paid at production
00:43milestones over a decade.
00:46This is a project of Western Australian significance, Australian significance and frankly global
00:51significance as well, 3,600 construction jobs, 600 ongoing jobs.
00:57I cried off and on yesterday, I was absolutely gutted.
01:02The promise of jobs, no comfort for some Kalbarri residents.
01:07One of my concerns is that tourists will see from every vantage point, even from the river,
01:14the turbines, plus there will be ammonia wafting into town.
01:19Others want more information.
01:22When you start digging holes you disturb the natural beauty regardless of what it is.
01:26So we need to be consulted and we need to be included on the whole process.
01:32The project will make solar and wind powered hydrogen and convert it to green ammonia for
01:37export.
01:38Renewable energy has a place in the state, I'm sure, and I'm sure there's places where
01:42it can coexist with the natural environment, but this is not one of them.
01:45It's too fragile, it's too much to risk.
01:48The Danish-backed company behind the project says it's listening.
01:52Kalbarri, we love you!
01:54We're finding that much of the anxiety is coming from a lack of information or a lack
01:58of accurate information.
02:01So our stakeholder team is in the community, the project team is in the community every
02:04six to eight weeks.
02:06In all of our dealings with this organisation, they are very invested in making sure that
02:12the local economy will benefit from this project.
02:16The project still requires environmental approval.
02:20Murchison Green Hydrogen says it will submit its environmental plans to the state government
02:26by the middle of the year.
02:27If it gets the green light, the company hopes to be producing green ammonia by 2029.