Aboriginal Clean Energy Partnership Awarded ARENA Funding
Perth, Australia, 27 August 2026:
The Aboriginal Clean Energy Partnership (ACE Partnership) has been awarded a $4.94 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for a Pre-FEED study to support the development of its pioneering First Nations-led clean energy, green hydrogen and green ammonia export project in Northern Australia. A portion of the ARENA grant is conditional on the ACE Partnership raising the balance of funds required to complete the Pre-FEED study.
As Australia looks to strengthen its energy and fertiliser security, the ACE Partnership is a clear demonstration of how First Nations leadership, combined with international expertise, can deliver for the country.
The ACE Partnership is a world-first model involving Traditional Owners as majority shareholders of the development company, not just stakeholders. The shareholders include MG Corporation, Balanggarra Ventures Limited, Kimberley Land Council and Pollination Group.
The ARENA funding will support the delivery of a Pre-FEED study which will be used to progress integrated technical design and develop greater cost certainty of the build. It will also fund environment and heritage surveys to inform regulatory and statutory approval applications, community consultation and commercial structuring for future phases of project development.
The funding comes after ACE signed development agreements with two of the world’s most experienced green hydrogen developers, GXED and LONGi, to support the delivery of solar power, renewable hydrogen and ammonia production and integration with existing hydro power and transmission system.
CEEC GXED’s Bin Wei, Deputy General Manager, said: “CEEC GXED is proud to bring CEEC’s operational experience in designing and building one of the world’s largest green ammonia projects to the ACE Partnership and East Kimberley Clean Energy Project. Drawing on CEEC’s track record of delivering our flagship project in Songyuan, China, producing 200,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually, we understand what it takes to move from concept to commercial-scale delivery. We look forward to contributing our expertise and in-kind support to help complete the design and costing work required for this important project.”
LONGi’s Ren Jiang, Director, Global Strategic Accounts & APAC, said: “LONGi is pleased to contribute its solar, hydrogen and electrolyser manufacturing expertise to the ACE Partnership. As we continue to grow our presence in Australia’s solar market and scale our hydrogen production and electrolyser capabilities globally, we see significant opportunity to support the design of ACE’s hydrogen production facility and bring practical market insights and innovation to this important emerging sector.”
ARENA’s CEO Darren Miller, said: “Australia has the resources to become a leader in renewable hydrogen and green ammonia and it’s important that First Nations communities have the opportunity to share in that growth. This next phase will help determine the best pathway forward for a project that combines clean energy development with long-term economic opportunities.”
Traditional Owners have a vital role to play in Australia’s energy transition, and the ACE Partnership has led the way for the last 4 years to ensure the right model is in place when developing critical clean energy and critical chemical infrastructure at pace.
The East Kimberley is uniquely placed for the development of clean energy and green ammonia projects being next to Lake Kununurra and Lake Argyle and with access to WA’s northernmost port at Wyndham, it is ideally located for export.
MG Corporation Director, Aunty Carol Hapke said, “the funding will go a long way in supporting the development of the ACE Project, which will help ensure the economic security for our people in a way that is consistent with our values and caring for Country”
Balanggarra’s, Trisha Birch said, “We’re entering a very exciting stage in the project’s development, and the local communities are committed to ensuring this project helps deliver a sustainable economic future for them and the wider Australian community.”
Kimberley Land Council’s Tyronne Garstone said: “Traditional Owners have a game-changing opportunity in driving Australia’s clean energy transition, and this project in the Kimberley shows, in practice, how it can be done.”
The ACE project is capable of producing up to 250,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually within five years, providing an opportunity to be the first green ammonia project to achieve commercial scale in Australia.
Pollination’s Managing Director, Rob Grant, said: “The project has completed feasibility, secured public backing and it will leverage existing underutilised infrastructure to reduce cost and demonstrated a scalable ownership model that can be deployed in First Nations land estate.”
“At a time when Australian farmers and industry are feeling both the impact of climate change caused by producing fertiliser from fossil fuels and Australia’s reliance on sourcing 85% of it from overseas, the East Kimberley Project and the ACE Partnership model is a great example of how Traditional Owners have taken a leadership role in the production and decarbonisation of Australia’s food chain.”
For further information, visit: Aboriginal Clean Energy.
———————————————-
Media inquiries: Tom Godfrey – tom.godfrey@pollinationgroup.com
About
The Aboriginal Clean Energy Partnership (ACE) is a First Nations-led development company leading a clean energy, green hydrogen and green ammonia export project in Northern Australia. The project is designed to support Australia’s domestic clean energy and fertiliser production capability
