CleanCo joins Gladstone hydrogen consortium

Publicly-owned renewable energy firm CleanCo has signed a memorandum of understanding to join Japan’s Sumitomo Corp and its partners on the development of a hydrogen industry in Gladstone, the Queensland government said on October 12.

Queensland aims to get 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2030. “This agreement will support that goal with hydrogen set to be a major player in our energy mix, creating jobs and opportunities particularly in regional Queensland,” Australian minister for energy, renewables and hydrogen Mick de de Brenni commented.

CleanCo chair Jacqui Walters said the accord demonstrated the company's continued focus on Queensland's energy transition. “In Queensland, we have access to abundant renewable energy sources to support a robust hydrogen industry,” Walters said.

Consortium partners for the Sumitomo Gladstone project include Sumitomo Australia, Gladstone Ports Corp, Gladstone Regional Council, CQUniversity Australia and Australian Gas Infrastructure Group.

“We welcome CleanCo joining us in this exciting new industry for Queensland as we believe production of commercial scale quantities of hydrogen in Gladstone stands to benefit a number of industries including heavy freight, green chemicals production and mineral processing,” Sumitomo Australia CEO David Wilson said. “But we are also looking at the future export possibilities for hydrogen, including to our Asian partners, as the world seeks cleaner energy sources.”