24 | Hiringa Energy REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Renewable energy making further strides Hiringa Energy partners with major organisations and local iwi to build sustainable supply chains and infrastructure both in this country and Australia. T T Hugh de lacy As New Zealanders face increasingly high prices for fuel and fertilisers, work is under way in a project in South Taranaki that could offer an alternative to volatile overseas import markets. The project at Kapuni is one of a range of renewable and green energy projects being undertaken by Hiringa Energy, a New Plymouth-based company that was founded in 2017 to develop green hydrogen production and infrastructure to decarbonise heavy transport and industry. Hiringa Energy partners with major organisations and local iwi to build sustainable supply chains and infrastructure both in this country and Australia. It has half a dozen major projects under way with the Kapuni initiative integrating wind, industrial energy supply and green hydrogen production to simultaneously decarbonise the transport, energy, industrial and agricultural sectors. Hiringa is the developer and operator of the project with working partners Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Todd Energy, the Parinihi ki Waitotara Maori and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. Construction began recently on the four 6.4-megawatt wind turbines that are the foundation of the Kapuni project, each one standing 206m high at the tip, with a combined installed capacity of 25.6MW generating around 100 gigawatt hours a year — enough to power up to 24,000 homes. Renewable energy from the turbines has multiple uses, including to provide power to Ballance’s Kapuni site, and to enable up to two tonnes of green hydrogen production per day. The green hydrogen will be used for emissions-free transport, and to augment some of the natural gas feedstock currently used to manufacture lower carbon fertiliser. The project will also provide electricity to the grid. Construction started in February this year, and it is expected to be completed in 2027. The timing of the project is even more significant given ongoing price and supply concerns for fuel and fertilizer over the war in Iran. “Producing green hydrogen also helps to enhance New Zealand’s energy security profile by establishing a sovereign source of clean energy, reducing our reliance on imported fuels,” says Hiringa’s Head of New Business Ryan McDonald. The company’s broader profile includes a range of domestic fuel and fertiliser production projects. It built and operates New Zealand’s only green hydrogen refueling network, with stations online in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Palmerston North, and more in development. The refueling network will be supported in the coming years with renewable energy from another project: five 5MW solar farms being built around the country alongside partner MyFarm. A refueling network along Australia’s eastern seaboard is also under way. An Australian partnership with Sundown Pastoral Company backs up Hiringa’s Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia (GEGHA) project near Moree in New South Wales, which will use solar-powered electrolysis to produce green hydrogen and ammonia for fertiliser. Hiringa is also in partnership with WB Pastoral in New South Wales’ Riverina areas for an expansion to the GEGHA project, furthering Australia’s production of renewable fertiliser and fuel, while another large-scale renewable energy plant is in planning for Whanganui. Fabrication • Construction • Maintenance • Industrial Coatings ENABLING THE ENGINE ROOM OF NEW ZEALAND Proud to be supporting the growth of the Hydrogen industry 0800 289 787 btw.nz SURVEYING ENGINEERING PLANNING ENVIRONMENT Creating a better future with smart solutions delivered safely & responsibly. PROUD PARTNER ON HIRINGA ENERGY PROJECTS Mechanical Engineering • Pipeline Engineering Project Development • Project Management Electrical & Instrumental Engineering • Design Drafting Process Engineering • Structural Engineering Level 1, 42 Egmont Street, New Plymouth 4310, Taranaki Five-D, 12 Ashwood Avenue, Tauhara, Taupo 3330
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