Central Queensland hydrogen project

Abstract

Renewable hydrogen is being heavily promoted around the world for energy storage, and to support the decarbonisation of energy systems. Queensland is well placed for hydrogen export to Asia and is actively working to make this a reality. Stanwell Corporation, together with its project partners Iwatani, APA Group, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Marubeni and Kansai Electric Power Company, is working to develop a commercial world-scale project to produce and export hydrogen from Gladstone to Japan, supporting Japan’s Net Zero by 2050 commitment. The size of the hydrogen production system (3 GW) is significant and as a first of a kind in Queensland raises several technical, regulatory and social challenges. To highlight the scale of the project, the renewable power generation to be installed to support this project will have a capacity equivalent to the current Queensland daily power demand. There are several challenges, one being that solar and wind energy resources by their nature are variable. Identifying and defining the mix of renewable energy to achieve a reliable power supply, and integrating this with the electrolyser systems, will be key to the success of the project. The upgrades required to existing power transmission infrastructure are significant, while additional water supply in the Gladstone region will be required. Finally, recent developments in Gladstone have created a boom–bust cycle and the social acceptance of this development requires ongoing engagement to address community concerns.