Taranaki green hydrogen energy project starts

Construction is starting on a sustainable green hydrogen facility in South Taranaki, supported by a $19.9 million government investment, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says.

"We've waited more than five years for this project to begin, after it was delayed by years of red tape and appeals under the previous Resource Management Act consent process," Mr Jones says.

The project includes supplying renewable electricity to the Ballance Agri-Nutrients' Kapuni facility in South Taranaki for their site operations and producing green hydrogen for emissions-free transport at Hiringa Energy's refuelling operations.

"A delay like this, for a project so important to a regional economy, shouldn't have happened. I welcome the economic benefits, jobs, and alternative energy source this initiative will bring to Taranaki." Mr Jones says.

Around 50 jobs are expected to be created during construction, with a further seven permanent roles established post construction at the facility.

"This will be one of the first projects in New Zealand to integrate wind, industrial renewable electricity supply and zero-carbon green hydrogen fuel production at scale."

"The initiative unlocks significant local investment and will be a vital contributor to long-term, development in the region and will help diversify the Taranaki economy by supporting new, innovative clean energy industries," Mr Jones says.

The $19.9m investment was allocated to the project from the former Provincial Growth Fund in 2020. The full cost of the project will be up to $112.3m, with the additional co-funding supplied from the project partners

The project is a partnership between the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Ballance Agri-Nutrients Limited, Hiringa Energy Limited, Parininihi ki Waitōtara, and Todd. Construction starts at the facility this month.