Woodside and FFI compete for New Zealand project

Firms will provide more detailed proposals to Southern Green Hydrogen joint project development team by end of August

New Zealand’s Southern Green Hydrogen project will be led by either Australian energy firm Woodside or green hydrogen company Fortescue Future Industries. Both firms have entered final-stage negotiations with the joint developers, utilities Meridian Energy and Contact Energy. The project, in New Zealand’s Southland region, is at an early stage of development but will likely produce hydrogen from hydropower as both utilities have a high proportion of that form of generation in their portfolios. The development was prompted by the imminent end of an electricity supply agreement to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in 2025. The smelter consumes 12pc of New Zealand’s electricity demand. The prop