GREEN fuel specialist InterContinental Energy (ICE) is looking to expand renewable hydrogen exports from the Pilbara after becoming the majority owner of the Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH).
ICE is expected to ensure that AREH's project strategy remains firmly in the company’s hands, following BP's strategic decision to refocus on oil and gas.
Speaking this week at the Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Summit & Exhibition, ICE’s Australia head, Isaac Hinton said the company was on track to deliver against its ambitious plans to build Australia’s most significant clean-energy export hub.
“Our majority ownership comes at a pivotal moment, as the Pilbara positions itself at the centre of Australia’s renewables transition,” Mr Hinton said.
“The region is rapidly emerging as a global green iron hub; the Western Australian government is working on facilitating this transition and AREH is the energy backbone that can make it all possible.”
With access to world-class solar and wind resources, AREH will generate vast quantities of renewable hydrogen, enabling industrial decarbonisation across the Pilbara.
This is to support the region’s shift to value-added, low-carbon products and create new opportunities for technology deployment and regional employment.
The project is expected to drive thousands of new jobs, helping to diversify the Pilbara economy and support the emergence of new industries committed to a net-zero future.
“This is about more than energy,” Mr Hinton said.
“It is about a once-in-a-century industrial transformation for the Pilbara, turning it from a raw material exporter into a producer of high-value, low-carbon products the world urgently needs.”
Australia’s recent high-profile engagements in markets such as South Korea signal growing international interest in Pilbara-based renewable solutions.
By harnessing Australian resources and global technologies, projects like AREH are set to redefine the nation’s role as a clean fuel supplier.
“It was great to see the [Australian] Prime Minister in South Korea a few weeks ago,” Mr Hinton said.
“We are looking to work closely with a number of partners in South Korea and China with technologies that, combined with AREH, could unlock our nation’s potential.”
AREH is now at a technically mature stage, having already weathered a decade of design evolution and policy change.
“Australia’s previous energy transitions — whether LNG, wind, or solar — have always followed a predictable pattern: long periods of preparation, rapid scale-up, and eventual transformation. That’s what we’re seeing now in hydrogen,” Mr Hinton said.
“The engineering is proven, the financing frameworks are robust, and our partnerships are enduring.”
ICE’s flagship projects in Western Australia, AREH and the Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH), together offer unmatched scale and will underpin Australia’s future as a clean energy exporter.
While AREH is focused on decarbonising Pilbara industry and enabling new exports, WGEH is dedicated to producing green hydrogen and ammonia for supply to both domestic and global markets, broadening the nation’s future energy export profile.
The company’s patented P2(H₂)Node™ modular system is expected to play a critical role in integrating hydrogen production directly with renewable generation, enhancing delivery and project economics.
According to Mr Hinton, ICE “remains committed to advancing project development” and advancing the long-term potential of hydrogen.
“AREH is not just a project; it’s an enabler of Australia’s next export era,” he said.