The order marks Australia’s largest renewable hydrogen project to reach execution phase, offsetting 7.5% of a mining firm’s natural gas use.
Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) will supply a 50-megawatt hydrogen electrolyzer to Orica, a mining conglomerate, for its ammonia production facility in Australia. The project, now in execution phase, will use renewable energy to produce hydrogen, reducing the facility’s natural gas consumption by approximately 7.5%.
This deal represents Plug Power’s largest electrolyzer project in Australia but follows a broader deployment of 320 MW across six continents. The company’s largest installation to date is a 100-MW system in Portugal, expected to be fully operational by year-end. The Australia project, while significant, is not expected to materially alter Plug Power’s growth trajectory.
The electrolyzer will leverage Plug Power’s proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, aligning with global efforts to decarbonize industrial processes. Orica, the customer, is a major supplier of sodium cyanide for mining operations.