The Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH), developed and owned by InterContinental Energy, has received a $21 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to further advance and accelerate the project, which will underpin green iron efforts in the Pilbara by producing large volume and low-cost green hydrogen.

The funding will support the next detailed phase of technical, economic and regulatory progress to ensure AREH can be online in time to support Future Made in Australia products such as green iron and ammonia. The studies will focus on green hydrogen production at Boodarie near Port Hedland, integration with industrial partners, alongside environmental, water and cultural heritage considerations.

Isaac Hinton, Head of Australia at InterContinental Energy, said the ARENA funding represents a major vote of confidence in Australia’s role as an emerging green iron superpower.

“For the Pilbara to remain a major source of jobs and growth for Australia in the decades ahead, it must evolve from exporting iron ore to producing green iron,” he said.

“As global customers increasingly demand affordable green iron, there is an incredible strategic opportunity for the Pilbara to combine its world-class renewable energy and iron ore resources to capture more of the value chain.

At InterContinental Energy we are proud that this funding will accelerate AREH’s nation‑building potential to drive the first phases of green iron investment in the region.”

Neil Parker, CEO of AREH, said the grant would help accelerate the project’s development.

“This funding allows us to advance the rigorous engineering, design and commercial analysis needed to progress AREH and its ability to supply new industrial clusters in the Pilbara,” he said.

“It brings us closer to delivering large‑scale, low‑cost green hydrogen, supporting a Future Made in Australia agenda and positioning the Pilbara as a leading global center for green iron manufacturing.”

At full scale, AREH could produce up to 1.6 million tons of green hydrogen for nation building industries in green iron or green ammonia, positioning it among the largest green hydrogen projects in the world.