Under the agreements, the Mill will provide waste-to-energy project developer Patriot Hydrogen with the land, energy off-take and wood waste to complete the project.
Patriot will construct a biomass-to-energy facility on the sawmill’s site using its wood waste as feed stock then sell the renewable electricity produced back to the Mill to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel-derived power.
The partnership also helps to decarbonise the sawmill through the production of biochar generating carbon credits and reducing emissions output.
“Commercially, this is a positive step forward for Patriot which will use the mill’s waste residue sawdust and mulch as a sustainable feedstock to produce ultra-clean renewable energy” says Patriot Chairman, Glenn Davies.
“The sawmill is currently buying all of its power from the grid, and this project replaces 100% of the fossil fuel being used with the clean electricity the Patriot Units produce.”
Patriot is booking shipping dates to transport the Plant from its location at Nhava Sheva Port, India’s second-largest container port to Port Botany in Sydney.
As Patriot scales up production the Company believes the location of the Millfield saw mill in the heart of the Hunter region provides a substantial opportunity to expand the facility to produce green hydrogen in phase 2.
“With the region being identified as a Hydrogen Hub by the NSW Government, our Patriot Unit’s syngas which is rich in hydrogen provides a clear path to support the State’s Net Zero Plan to reduce emissions.” Mr. Davies stated.
“We are setting the Company up to take advantage of the State Government’s Billion-dollar Hydrogen development incentive and help NSW reach its stretch targets of 110,000 tonnes of annual green hydrogen production.”
Patriot Units create five high-value revenue streams — hydrogen for transport, syngas for renewable power biochar for farming carbon credits and wood vinegar for pest control.
Patriot Hydrogen is anticipating the plant to arrive at the Mill before Christmas 2022.