PolarBlue to make clean energy in Tasmania

The Tasmanian Government has announced that clean energy company PolarBlue is preparing to build an advanced manufacturing hub at Bell Bay.

PolarBlue’s arrival in Tasmania follows three years of engagement, with an expected 150 jobs to be created in Phase One, and a $1.5 billion capital investment in the first three years. The hub will produce zero-emission energy infrastructure using Australian technology.

“PolarBlue’s vision to deliver globally significant outcomes using Australian technology is welcome in Tasmania,” said Minister for Business, Industry and Resources Felix Ellis. “The significant private capital commitment will be a boon for the entire state, driving investment over three years while they build the hub.”

“Almost everything the modern world runs on got cheaper as we made more of it. Energy never did,” said PolarBlue founder Grant Reynolds. “We never asked Tasmania for a cent, only a fair process, and we got one. Bell Bay is where we start advanced manufacturing at scale.”

PolarBlue’s technology aims to radically lower clean energy production costs using highly scalable, offshore infrastructure, including 3D-printed floating offshore turbines, seawater-to-fuel processing using onboard electrolysers, reactors and pumps to process seawater directly at sea and convert ocean energy directly into green hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and aviation fuels, which can be siphoned directly onto visiting marine tankers.

Image credit: iStock.com/gorodenkoff