A new project could see kilometre-thick salt deposits used to store hydrogen in South Australia. 

EntX, a clean energy tech company based in Adelaide, has been given the green light to explore the possibility of creating a hydrogen storage hub in Elliston on SA’s Eyre Peninsula. The Western Eyre Green Hydrogen Project would use the large salt deposits in the Polda Basin as a storage facility for hydrogen. 

EntX's says its new licence allows early exploration work on the salt deposits, which are up to a kilometre in thickness. The salt deposits in the Polda Basin are ideal for hydrogen storage, as the salt lining the space has very low permeability, creating an effective barrier to gas leakage.

The region also has great potential for renewable energy generation, with a high potential for wind and solar energy. 

EntX is planning to produce hydrogen using renewable wind or solar electricity, splitting water into components of hydrogen and oxygen. 

Desalinated water from Waterloo Bay will be used to create the hydrogen, and EntX plans to build its own desalination plant.

EntX's general manager of hydrogen and clean fuels, Glenn Toogood, estimates that the development of the hydrogen storage site would be a $4 billion project. 

“We use really fresh water and dissolve the salt out to develop [a] cavern formation. That cavern stays intact for as long we use it, and longer term - in 100 years' time once we stop using it - Mother Nature does its work and effectively pushes that cavern back together again,” Mr. Toogood explained.

The project could complement the current development application going through the South Australian government for a windmill farm in Elliston. EntX is also considering another large-scale project, looking at a product like ammonia and other renewable energy such as methanol.