Allan Blood pushes for accelerated approval of $3.7 billion coal-to-fertiliser scheme in Southland
Western Australian entrepreneur Allan Blood is lobbying New Zealand officials to fast-track a $3.7 billion coal-to-hydrogen-to-urea project near Tiwai Point.
Allan Blood, a Western Australian businessman, bought a ticket to a NZ First fundraising dinner to discuss his $3.7 billion coal-to-hydrogen-to-urea project with Resources Minister Shane Jones. The scheme envisions a massive plant behind the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, converting coal into brown hydrogen for the production of 1.5 million tonnes of urea each year. Blood has also attended Labour fundraisers, positioning the venture as a strategic national asset that could replace Qatari gas imports.
He plans to negotiate the purchase of two adjacent farmland blocks near Invercargill to develop a coal mine large enough to feed the plant. The developer seeks a fast-track regulatory referral within the next 12 months and claims the operation can remain carbon-neutral despite extensive coal use.
Why it matters
The project could reshape New Zealand’s fertilizer supply and energy imports while raising environmental and political concerns.
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