Greenhill Energy has launched their $425 million plans to build Australia’s first fully integrated processing facility to convert landfill waste and sustainable biomass into high value products such as fertilisers and synthetic fuels, and into low-cost clean hydrogen for use in emission free power and transport.
Following recent positive trials and ongoing research and development, Greenhill Energy has secured 20 hectares of land at Tailem Bend in South Australia’s Murraylands for their first flagship clean hydrogen project, The Riverbend Energy Hub.
Within five years, Greenhill Energy Executive Managing Director Nicholas Mumford said annually the waste-to-hydrogen facility, at full capacity, is expected to divert up to 200,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding release of environmentally harmful methane, with CO2 produced onsite used in the manufacturing of over 100,000 tonnes of urea fertilisers.
“We have been granted State Government crown sponsorship across the project and, pending approvals, 2025 will see the construction of a single gasifier, in our first phase,” Mumford said. “This will be able to process up to 60,000 tonnes of dry biomass or waste per year, which is around 1,500 fully loaded semitrailer trucks.
“Riverbend Energy Hub’s stage one will also include an integrated power plant that will be able to provide firm power into the wholesale electricity market, and in turn, support further development of intermittent renewable energy generation types,” he said.
“We estimate that the project will create around 300 jobs, during construction. Once established and operating at full scale it is estimated there will be around 50 to 100 direct jobs, and no doubt further indirect jobs through sustainable biomass development and the like.”
The project will be underpinned by integrating proven hydrogen processing and manufacturing technologies, within a unique closed system, as Australia’s economy and industry seeks to decarbonise.
“We spent five years researching ways to upcycle Australia’s growing waste streams into high value products such as clean hydrogen and fertilisers,” he said.
“This led us to learn more about proven and advanced waste-to-hydrogen technologies, such as gasification, which are in successful application across many European countries. We also added a twisof Australian innovation to integrate energy inputs and outputs into a novel, closed ecosystem with diverse products.”
Mumford said the project has been backed by a portfolio of early-stage private investors and significant industry partnerships.
“While we are already working through multiple discussions, the door is always open to work with like-minded and astute investors to assist with moving through the approvals and construction phases of stage one of the Hub, with potential for first market power in 2025,” Mumford said.
“This will help us realise our company vision for Australia to ultimately achieve zero waste going to landfill. We know the community expects that landfill should be the last resort for household and industry waste, with higher levels of diversion, resource re-use and recycling – and that’s the business we are in.
“We are securing the essential building blocks to commence and scale, with interest in providing biomass and waste feedstock, and offtake of products, such as energy and urea fertilisers. For example, we have signed MOUs with high calibre partners, such as Elders, Solo Resource Recovery and Peats Soil and Garden Supplies.
“We are also looking to create other sustainable feedstock opportunities, with local farmers diversifying into summer cropping rotations or growing more drought-resilient species in marginal cropping lands.”
Greenhill will be looking to replicate the Riverbend Energy Hub blueprint at other sites across Australia and internationally in years ahead.
“We are proud to be one step closer to delivering Australia’s first fully integrated facility of this kind in regional South Australia to convert high volume sustainable biomass and landfill waste into high value upcycled products.”
For more information, please contact:
Sarah Morgan on 0421 664 969
Sophia Connelly on 0410 686 908
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