Staff writers
The Latrobe Valley has been earmarked as one of seven industrial hydrogen hubs in Australia under a $1.2 billion federal government investment to boost economic activity in priority regions.
The Clean Hydrogen Industrial Hubs program will help to develop projects that will co-locate the production and industrial uses of hydrogen, building on infrastructure and workforces in these areas.
The seven locations include the Valley, along with Bell Bay in Tasmania, Darwin, Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, Gladstone, the Hunter Valley, and the Pilbara in Western Australia.
It comes after the Latrobe Valley officially launched the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project at Loy Yang which uses gasified brown coal.
The federal funding will help to de-risk projects and quickly achieve the scale necessary to establish new export industries and meet the growing energy needs of the Indo Pacific region.
The $464 million grant program provides up to $3 million to progress feasibility studies and designs, and up to $70 million towards the roll-out of projects.
It will build on the work of Special Adviser on Low Emissions Technology Alan Finkel to broker international partnerships and accelerate the deployment of hydrogen.
Prime Minster Scott Morrison said these hubs would create jobs and fast-track Australia’s push to be a global leader in the new energy economy.
“Our plan to invest and develop low emissions industries will mean more jobs for Australian workers, particularly in our regions, cheaper energy for businesses and lower emissions,” Mr Morrison said.
“We are accelerating the development of our Australian hydrogen industry and it is our ambition to produce the cheapest clean hydrogen in the world, transforming our transport, energy, resources and manufacturing sectors.”
Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said the HESC project was one example of the “exciting opportunities” for the Latrobe Valley as a hydrogen hub.
“The Latrobe Valley has a rich heritage as an energy powerhouse but we can also look forward to a great future by investing in technology for projects like hydrogen production,” Mr Chester said.
“The federal government wants to work with industry and international partners to help unlock cheap, clean energy and stimulate a potential surge in industrial activity while meeting international emissions reduction targets.”
