Fortescue has announced the opening of a new technical innovation centre in the UK and begun negotiations with the US for a hydrogen hub.
The $US23 million ($36.2 million) innovation centre in Kidlington will be home to 300 skilled workers, with up to 50 more jobs to be created across the next year.
The facility will focus on the technical development, testing and prototype production of batteries and zero emission powertrains.
“This new technical innovation centre in Kidlington will not only drive the leading edge of decarbonised motorsports, but also lead the way to decarbonising heavy industry as well,” Fortescue executive chairman and founder Andrew Forrest said.
“Fortescue bought Britain’s best racing battery maker not only to help decarbonise our own operations, but to help other businesses to adopt zero emission technologies as well, and cement UK as a green technology and manufacturing leader.”
Fortescue has also been selected to begin award negotiations as part of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) for the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub.
The project is estimated to receive up to $US1 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding from the US Government.
The selection enables Fortescue to work in partnership to establish the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub, which includes Fortescue’s proposed green hydrogen production facility in Centralia, Washington.
“There is no place better in the world to be investing in renewable and green energy projects right now than the United States,” Forrest said.
“Federal funding like this, alongside other incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, go a long way to helping reduce risk and accelerate the wide-spread production of green hydrogen.
“In turn this will catalyse substantial private sector investment, creating new good paying jobs and economic prosperity for Americans, particularly those in economically vulnerable communities in the Pacific Northwest.”