The Port of Newcastle (PoN) in New South Wales, long defined by coal exports, is taking a decisive step towards a diversified and low-carbon future. The port has appointed Hamburg Port Consulting (HPC) to develop the final business case for its 220-hectare Clean Energy Precinct (CEP), a location the port describes as Australia’s most advanced clean-energy value chain project.
HPC will assess the market and commercial potential for green ammonia production, storage and export, applying what it describes as commercial discipline to support the port’s Net Zero 2040 commitment. The CEP, supported by A$100 million in federal funding, aims to cut around 660,000 tonnes of domestic and one million tonnes of exported carbon emissions each year, with green ammonia shipped to international markets.
Generational transformation
According to HPC, the business case work will draw on its experience in energy logistics and strategic planning to outline a realistic investment framework. Craig Carmody, chief executive of Port of Newcastle, said developing a final business case that reflected stronger Australia–Europe energy links was essential to realising the port’s clean-energy vision. “It builds on our partnerships, including the Port of Hamburg agreement for a green shipping corridor, and will give us the insights needed to attract investment and guide infrastructure funding through schemes like H2Global,” he said, referring to the German‑funded clean energy initiative. “This is about applying commercial discipline to achieve our Net Zero 2040 commitment.”
For Newcastle, a port synonymous with fossil energy, the move signals what Carmody described as a once-in-a-generation transformation. The intention is to shift the port from dependence on coal to a more resilient export mix. Christina Prieser, associate partner at HPC, said the consultancy’s role was to help structure the business case in a way that balanced ambition with commercial logic. “We’re looking at how green ammonia could fit into future transport flows, where market demand might emerge, and what it takes to move from potential to practical next steps,” she said.
Coal, hydrogen and ammonia transition
Green ammonia is a significant part of the Newcastle CEP development, and is being progressed elsewhere in the world, notably the UK. Green ammonia is produced using hydrogen derived from renewable energy and nitrogen from the air, emitting virtually no carbon dioxide during production or use. It is increasingly seen as a critical fuel and energy carrier for the shipping industry, which faces immense challenges in decarbonising long-distance and heavy-tonnage transport. Although its toxicity and handling requirements present challenges, its role as a scalable, carbon-free maritime fuel is attracting major international interest.
For now, the Port of Newcastle remains the world’s largest coal export hub, handling around 144 million tonnes of coal in 2023, according to port statistics and trade sources – a figure not far off the all-time peak for the port. For decades, Newcastle’s identity and economic importance have been inseparable from coal. Now, like its namesake in England (the epitome of the “coals to Newcastle” epithet), shifting global demand, combined with national decarbonisation targets, is forcing a reassessment. The Clean Energy Precinct represents an attempt to pivot towards new forms of energy trade, while maintaining Newcastle’s role as a global energy port.
HPC represents a formidable ally. Founded in 1976, the consultancy has delivered more than 1,900 projects in 135 countries, offering expertise in automation, digitalisation and sustainable investment. As Craig Carmody at the Port of Newcastle noted, the collaboration builds on growing cooperation between Australia and Europe in the clean-energy sector, and could help establish Newcastle as a key gateway in the international hydrogen supply chain. In an act of synergy, that namesake in the old country is also embarking on a similar initiative – the Tyne Clean Energy Park. “Clean energy to Newcastle” may be the updated epithet for the future.