Proposals are flooding in for SA’s big battery plans.

South Australia has received an overwhelming response to its ambitious plan to lead in big battery storage and green hydrogen technology. 

The state's Labor government has pledged almost $600 million to construct a 250MW green hydrogen electrolyser and a 200MW green hydrogen power plant in Whyalla, which would be the largest of their kind in the world for a time. 

Last year, the government received roughly 60 expressions of interest that have been converted into 29 formal proposals under a recent tender, indicating the plan has garnered significant interest globally.

Major players, including Fortescue Future Industries owned by Andrew Forrest, are believed to have submitted proposals, given the scope of the tender and the level of government support. 

Proposals have been submitted by renewable energy companies, equipment manufacturers, and technology providers from Europe, North and South America, and the Asia Pacific, including Australia.

The tender is for one part of the proposal or the entire project, such as the provision of hydrogen electrolysers, building the power plant, hydrogen storage, and power purchase agreement proposals for hydrogen offtake.

South Australia is already a world leader in integrating wind and solar into its electricity grid, averaging over 70 per cent over the last 12 months and generating over 100 per cent for several days. 

The state previously installed the Tesla Big Battery, a massive battery storage system, and now seeks to do the same with green hydrogen, which could attract sufficient wind and solar to meet its electricity needs multiple times over.

South Australia's energy minister, Tom Koutsantonis, said the state has enormous potential to become a global leader in renewable energy production and supply. 

Sam Crafter, head of the Office of Hydrogen Power, who led the taskforce that secured the Tesla Big Battery, believes the state has a fantastic opportunity to gain first-mover advantage in developing a green hydrogen industry, just as it did with energy storage when the original Big Battery was built, a move that has been widely emulated.

Contracts for the plan are expected to be awarded in the second half of this year, with facilities due to be delivered by 2025.