Ground has been broken on the Lumsden Point Access Road and Pinga Street intersection upgrades to support the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub at Port Hedland on the north coast of Western Australia.
The road and intersection work at Lumsden Point will support the import of wind turbine and renewable energy components into the Pilbara, as well as the export of battery metals such as lithium and copper concentrates.
To complement the Lumsden Point development, a new grade-separated rotary interchange will be constructed at the current intersection of Great Northern Highway and Pinga Street.
Two new single-span, 15-metre-long structures, with four lanes over a round underpass will connect Pinga Street to the new Lumsden Point Access Road.
New ramps will allow access on and off the Great Northern Highway, with new turning pockets to be built at the Lumsden Point Access Road.
The new intersection will improve traffic and also facilitate the safe movement of oversize vehicles out of Lumsden Point.
Lumsden Point provides an alternative import facility to Fremantle, which will reduce transport emissions.
Substantial progress has already been made on the new Lumsden Point Port development, which includes new shipping berths and a substantial lay-down area for imported equipment.
The Australian Government has committed $565 million in grant funding to support common user port upgrades at Port Hedland and Dampier in the Pilbara.
In February, the Australian and WA Governments finalised a $140 million agreement to build a hydrogen hub in the Pilbara.
The combined $140 million investment ($70 million each from the Australian and WA Governments) will help build infrastructure to support hydrogen exports as well as fund activities for a Clean Energy Training and Research Institute.
The Pilbara is a globally recognised resources hub and demand for renewable energy.
“The work being done now will ensure that the region that powers the nation’s economy can be powered by renewable energy,” said Western Australian Premier Roger Cook.
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub would help establish Australia’s future as a renewable energy superpower.
“Today’s announcement brings Western Australia and the Pilbara region closer to realising its future as a world-class producer and exporter of clean energy and products, capitalising on the huge opportunities that come from the global shift to net zero,” he said in a statement.
