1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,280 Speaker 1: An off grid hydrogen project in Central Australia. 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 2: It's building momentum. 3 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: The Northern Territory Government has announced that it's gained major 4 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,840 Speaker 1: project status. Now joining me on the line to tell 5 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: us a little bit more about the situation and exactly 6 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: what it means and what it's going to mean for 7 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. 8 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 2: We have got the CEO. Let me just make sure 9 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 2: i've got that phone line up. 10 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: The CEO, Jared Writer from Desert Bloom Hydrogen. 11 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Jared. 12 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. Thanks very much for having my show 13 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,840 Speaker 3: this morning. I'm really looking forward to talking with this morning. Yeah. 14 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: Well, I'm keen to find out a little bit more 15 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: about exactly what the off grid hydrogen project in Central 16 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: Australia is all about. 17 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 2: Tell us exactly where it's going to be. 18 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 3: Yeah. So, the Desert Bloom Hydrogen project that we're working on, 19 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 3: the first stage that we've got coming is going to 20 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 3: be at the Tenant Creek township and we've been working 21 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 3: with the Northern Territory Government on looking at a piece 22 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,839 Speaker 3: of land there. An initial project is designed to produce 23 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 3: hydrogen for use by the power station at Tenant Creek 24 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 3: and Jared, So. 25 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: At Tenant Creek or just there at Tenant Creek, it's 26 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: expected or the headline in the paper today is that 27 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: it's expected that it could mean a thousand jobs. 28 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 2: Are they local jobs? 29 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 3: Look? Absolutely yeah. Desert Bloom Hydrogen is a project that 30 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 3: is designed to scale up to export renewable hydrogen, so 31 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 3: we think it will rival the natural gas industry in 32 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:35,399 Speaker 3: the Northern Territory. There's certainly a huge opportunity globally with 33 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 3: renewable hydrogen really being the fuel of the future, and 34 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 3: we see that in a lot of announcements that are 35 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 3: going on recently around the world, with a lot of 36 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 3: people putting a lot of interest into renewable hydrogen. 37 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: Jared, I know some people listening this morning will be thinking, 38 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: all right, I don't know exactly what this means and 39 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: how it all works, but I know that there has 40 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: been discussion about whether it's sort of hydrogen based on 41 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: gas or whether it is totally renewable. What's the case 42 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: with this particular project. 43 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 3: Well, Katie, I'm pleased to say that this is really 44 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 3: a truly renewable hydrogen project that we've got here. So 45 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 3: our project relies solely on renewable solar PV generation for 46 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 3: turning water into hydrogen, and the water that we're getting 47 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 3: actually has been captured from atmosphere in a patented process 48 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 3: that we've been working on over the last two years. 49 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: So tell us a little bit more about sort of 50 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 1: the timeline. How quickly are you expecting this all to 51 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: start happening. Obviously it's been granted a major project status 52 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: by the Northern Territory government, but how soon could work 53 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: realistically get underway. 54 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a great question, Katie. We've been talking with 55 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 3: the Northern Territory Government for quite some time now about 56 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 3: the project. Unfortunately, COVID restrictions have made it difficult to 57 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 3: get up to the Northern Territory to do some of 58 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 3: the work that we require. We certainly intend to be 59 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 3: doing works on the ground next year in twenty twenty two, 60 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 3: and we're really looking forward to being able to get 61 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 3: up into the territory now that we're seeing restrictions changing 62 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 3: with regard to COVID. 63 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: And obviously, like you pointed out, during that construction phase, 64 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: there is going to need to be quite a large workforce, 65 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: and you want them to be local by the sounds 66 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: of it, But ongoing. I mean, once the project is 67 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: up and running, how many staff will be required or 68 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: how many workers will be required. 69 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 2: And again, is there going to be a push for 70 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 2: territory jobs. 71 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 3: Absolutely, there to push the territory jobs. When we look 72 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 3: at the project, Katie, one of the things that is 73 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 3: really great about is that we're going to have operational 74 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 3: jobs on the ground. You know, we'll be looking for 75 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 3: people with electrical and mechanical trades. Obviously it's quite a 76 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 3: complex project as well, so we'll be looking for engineering 77 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 3: and technical resources. And because the project's so large, you know, 78 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 3: when you think about it's a fifteen billion dollar project, 79 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 3: we'll be looking for substantial jobs around about one hundred 80 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 3: and twenty people working throughout the territory when it goes 81 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 3: into full operation. 82 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: And then when you talk about you know, when you 83 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: talk about this hydrogen I know that you touched on 84 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: the Tenant Creek power station, but you know, where are 85 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: you expecting it to be sort of you know, or 86 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: what areas? Is it going to just be Tenant Creek 87 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: that it's going to, you know, to hopefully help out here, 88 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: or will it go sort of further than that. 89 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a really great question. Katie. I mean, if 90 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 3: you have a look at the Northern Territory government's renewable 91 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 3: Hydrogen strategy that recently released, they've shown a whole area 92 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 3: around Central Australia where they've called their Renewable Energy Precinct 93 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 3: for renewable hydrogen. And because we've got a modular system, 94 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 3: we actually can locate it in multiple locations around the 95 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 3: Northern Territory, so we see the project being able to 96 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 3: provide benefits more broadly than just in Tenant Creek, but 97 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 3: in other places around the territory as well. 98 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: Is it going to mean cheaper power for territory in 99 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 1: or does it just mean greener? 100 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it really amounts to greener and it 101 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 3: certainly will be cheaper in the long term. I mean, 102 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 3: the price of renewable hydrogen is targeted to come down 103 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 3: to round two US dollars per kilogram by twenty twenty seven. 104 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 3: There's obviously a lot of activity in the renewable hydrogen 105 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 3: space around the world and it's really driving down costs 106 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 3: and we're certainly seeing that in a lot of projects 107 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 3: that are happening overseas well. 108 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 2: Jared, I appreciate your time this morning. 109 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: I know that there's no doubt there's still plenty of 110 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:22,039 Speaker 1: work to get under way, but as you said, they're 111 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:23,600 Speaker 1: hoping to get back into the. 112 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 2: Northern Territory from early next year. By the sounds of it. 113 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 3: Absolutely, Katie, we're certainly looking to get up there. We've 114 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,119 Speaker 3: got a pilot plant currently on site at Tennant Creek 115 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 3: and I'll be really happy to get back there and 116 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,239 Speaker 3: actually do a little bit more work on a pilot plant, 117 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 3: and then we're looking forward to getting into full construction 118 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 3: next year. 119 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: Well, I really appreciate you having a quick chat with 120 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: us this morning. 121 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 3: Thank you so much, Jared, Thanks Katie, really PreCure at 122 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 3: the time, and thanks to all your listeners. 123 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 2: Thank you.