Construction has begun on New South Wales’ first end-to-end hydrogen and ammonia production plant – The Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia (GEGHA) project – supported by $45.2 million from the state government.
Australia’s lack of domestic fertiliser production has been exposed as a critical infrastructure issue by the recent Middle East conflict, with the federal government introducing new measures to address surging costs and supply constraints in the 2026 budget.
GEGHA’s plant near Moree is a joint venture between Sundown Pastoral Co and Hiringa Energy, initially announced in early 2023. The New South Wales government is investing a total of $45.2 million in the project through the state's Hydrogen Hubs Initiative and Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative.
New South Wales Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Penny Sharpe, said the start of construction on GEGHA marks a major milestone for hydrogen capacity building in the state, showing how clean energy investment can deliver real benefits for regional communities, industry and farmers.
“The current fuel shock shows why projects like this are so important – they help make farming supply chains more reliable by reducing our need for imported fertilisers,” said Sharpe.
The project aims to boost New South Wales’ ability to produce essential fuel and fertiliser locally and help make farming supply chains more reliable in the face of global disruptions. It will also cut emissions from local fertiliser production, transport and heavy machinery.
Planning documents describe the development as a hydrogen and ammonia production facility comprising a 15 megawatt hydrogen electrolyser, a 16 tonne per day ammonia production plant, hydrogen and ammonia storage facilities, and water treatment and storage infrastructure.
The plant will produce up to 4500 tonnes of low-carbon ammonia per year, replacing imported, fossil fuel-based fertilisers and removing up to 17,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from farming.
The ammonia will be used to produce green fertiliser for Sundown Pastoral Company’s Keytah Farm, as well as other agricultural properties in New England. The plant will also produce more than 200 tonnes of green hydrogen per year to reduce diesel use in irrigation pumping on-farm and in heavy vehicle refuelling.
Sundown Pastoral Company owner, David Statham, said recent fuel and fertiliser supply pressures have highlighted how exposed regional industries remain to volatile international markets, reinforcing the need for greater local energy resilience.
“Australia is very vulnerable when it comes to imported fuel and fertiliser,” said Statham.
“Farmers live and breathe those pressures every day. We need to find another solution to insulate regional economies that are dependent on agriculture, and this shows it’s possible.”
The GEGHA project is scalable and repeatable, representing a model that can be rolled out across regional New South Wales to increase domestic manufacturing and develop energy security through sovereign supply chains for key industries. Overall, 93 local jobs will be created during construction and ongoing operation, with the plant expected to be operational in 2027.
Hiringa Energy co-founder and CEO, Andrew Clennett, said the unique project has plenty of potential for the regional New South Wales farming community.
“In particular, GEGHA is testament to the power of the relationships we have across project partners, especially Sundown, the New South Wales government and NAB I’m very proud of Hiringa’s record of delivering leading green hydrogen and renewable projects, but that doesn’t happen without strong collaboration across many parties,” said Clennett.
