Queensland funds hydrogen export facility at Gladstone

The Queensland government has committed A$15mn ($10.36mn) to support the development of a publicly owned, large-scale hydrogen export facility in Gladstone, it said on June 24.

Deputy premier Steven Miles said the funding would support the development of a large-scale electrolysis and liquefaction project in central Queensland.

“This investment in publicly owned energy corporation Stanwell will support front-end engineering and design studies for a project that could eventually be the largest renewable hydrogen project in Queensland,” the minister said. “It has the potential to scale up to produce 800 tons per day of clean, green hydrogen by the early 2030s.”

Treasurer and minister for trade and investment Cameron Dick said the 2022-2023 budget commitment will support planning for Queensland’s largest hydrogen project and could create thousands of jobs.

“Stanwell’s Gladstone project, being developed with international partners including Iwatani Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kansai Electric Power Company and Marubeni, and Australian energy infrastructure business APA Group, could be the catalyst to create up to 8900 new jobs,” the treasurer said.

“It could deliver more than A$17.2bn in hydrogen exports and A$12.4bn to Queensland’s gross domestic product over its 30-year lifespan,” he added.

Minister for hydrogen Mick de Brenni said global markets were increasingly hungry for green hydrogen to help meet their decarbonisation ambitions.

“This A$15mn in fast-tracked funding – through the $2 billion Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund – will also help future planning for supply chain and workforce opportunities,” de Brenni said.