The State Government is pleased to announce Aurecon Australasia Pty Ltd has been appointed as the consultant to design the Clean Energy Training and Research Institute (CETRI) in the Pilbara.
This marks a significant milestone in the development of a key regional hub that will position the region at the forefront of Australia's clean energy future.
The $22 million state-of-the-art facility will be a multi-user training hub and research institute that incorporates different training providers and research site locations across industry and tertiary and vocational training settings.
The CETRI will focus on research and development activities, as well as developing skills and training in areas relating to clean energy industries, including production, transportation, storage and export of renewable hydrogen and its carriers.
The facility is funded under the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub, which is a $140 million project co-funded between the Western Australian Government and the Commonwealth.
The CETRI and the Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence (CESNCE) will collaborate to maximise the impact of joint investment in these two critical projects and support the development of a skilled workforce for the net zero transition.
The design process will be undertaken over the course of the next eight months during which extensive consultations will occur with key stakeholders. This will include industry, the training and research sector and, importantly, community groups, including Aboriginal organisations in the Pilbara region.
Aurecon will be tasked with undertaking a co-design process with key CETRI stakeholders to ensure the CETRI is accessible, impactful and meet the needs of industry for the jobs of the future in clean energy generation, processing and export.
The Pilbara Hydrogen Hub is expected to become operational by mid-2028, supporting almost 1000 direct and indirect jobs in the region. For more information, visit: https://www.pdc.wa.gov.au/our-focus/projects/pilbara-hydrogen-hub.aspx
Regional Development Minister Don Punch said, "This is the start of an exciting new development in Western Australia's path to decarbonisation and clean energy generation.
"The Pilbara region is well positioned to be a global leader in clean energy generation, processing and export. The CETRI will play a crucial role in realising that ambition and will train a local workforce to deliver some $90 billion worth of clean energy projects currently in the pipeline for delivery in the region over the next decade.
"I congratulate Aurecon on their selection as the consultant to undertake the CETRI design and I look forward to this important project progressing over the course of the design over the next eight months."
Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk added, "This is an exciting step forward in our efforts to skill up the workforce needed for the clean energy transition which is expected to generate about 350,000 jobs over the next 25 years.
"The collaboration between CETRI and our Clean Energy Skills National Centre of Excellence will harness the strengths of WA's TAFE network to build the workforce.
"Along with other initiatives like free and low-cost training, this demonstrates our Government's commitment to increasing apprentices in trades vital to the clean energy transition such as electrical, plumbing and engineering."
