Infinite Green’s $120m plant hits hurdle

Infinite Green Energy has again hit another planning hurdle over its $120 million hydrogen plant in Northam, with a development panel remaining undecided.

The renewable energy company plans to build a hydrogen plant and expanded solar farm on Northam-York Road in Muluckine, proposed to cover 28.3 hectares of land.

In October, the Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel voted to defer deciding on the application for Infinite Green to provide more details and documentation.

Despite the proposal being amended to remove the solar plant feature, the JDAP today unanimously voted to defer the application for up to eight weeks or until March 22.

The decision comes after panel members spent more than two hours in their meeting, including half an hour behind closed doors to discuss legal advice.

JDAP presiding member Tony Arias said the deferral was justified for the application.

“It is a substantial proposal and for that, it requires a great deal of certainty,” he said at the JDAP meeting.

According to the JDAP report, Infinite Green has modified the proposal by removing the solar farm expansion component and sought further advice from government agencies since the October 2023 deferral.

“I truly believe we’ve done all the supporting docs that was required of us,” Infinite Green chief executive Stephen Gauld said.

However, JDAP deputy presiding member Kanella Hope said a number of key issues remained outstanding.

“It just needs a little more time to follow through, particularly on the bushfire risk issue, and hydrogen storage … There’s room for the applicant to provide certainty and possibly reshape some conditions.”

Ms Hope said there has been a broader planning issue for renewable energy projects in regional sites.

“The third matter I grapple with and perhaps a bigger question to local governments and state government about these type of [processing] facilities that are industrial in nature and falling in farming areas,” she said.

“This site can accommodate this… My hesitation though is that it’s still an industrial type use and renewable energy falls with generating energy.”

The proposed hydrogen plant will produce gas to be distributed across the state, Infinite Green’s development application said.

Infinite Green also said fewer than five tonnes of hydrogen would be stored on site but that could be exceeded during peak periods.