Giant Queensland Hydrogen Project Wins More Funding

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--One of Australia's most ambitious green hydrogen projects is picking up pace, with the Queensland government awarding a second financial boost.

Local government has awarded AUS$69 million (US$44 million) to the ambitious Central Queensland Hydrogen Hub (CQ-H2) project in Gladstone. The news comes in the same month that project developer Stanwell Corporation (Brisbane, Queensland), which is a Queensland government-owned energy company, secured solar power to run it. The funding, matched by Stanwell, goes towards the first phase of the project, which is aiming to install up to 640 megawatts (MW) of electrolysers that will be able to produce up to 200 tonnes of green hydrogen per day by 2028. The eventual goal is to expand the project in 200 tonnes per day increments as additional offtake deals are secured. Full-scale production capacity is targeted at roughly 800 tonnes per day by the early 2030s, using 2 gigawatts (GW) of electrolysers and requiring up to 7 GW of associated renewable solar/wind power generation capacity. The first phase of the Gladstone CQ-H2 project is worth almost US$2.5 billion in investment and is currently undergoing a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study.

"Central Queensland is an energy export powerhouse and has helped keep the lights on for decades, and as global markets shift -- it can reap the benefits of new industries like hydrogen too," commented Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. "Gladstone has strong foundations to host a thriving hydrogen industry, creating thousands of local jobs and position Australia as a renewable energy superpower. Renewable hydrogen will play a big role in our path to net zero, helping cut emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, and the manufacturing of green metals and other products the world needs."

In related news, Stanwell has signed a power supply deal with the Aldoga Solar Farm near Gladstone to power the first phase of development. A power purchase agreement has been signed with Spanish renewable energy company Acciona Energy (Alcobendas)--also a partner in the CQ-H2 project--to purchase 100%, or 380 MW of the power from the planned solar farm, which will be located adjacent to the proposed hydrogen production facility site.

In recent weeks, Queensland's state parliament passed legislation that will permit renewable hydrogen and other gasses to be piped across the state. It will, according to the government, potentially unlock US$21 billion in economic activity by 2040. Industrial Info is tracking 36 hydrogen projects in Queensland worth more than US$8 billion in investment. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).