Gladstone could soon be the first city in Australia to be powered by hydrogen, after a $4.2 million gas injection facility was announced to deliver renewable hydrogen into the city’s gas network.

The facility will be used to blend hydrogen with natural gas before it is distributed into homes around the city through the gas network.

10 percent renewable hydrogen will be pumped into the gas network in the trial, which marks the first time in Australian history that renewable hydrogen will be blended into a gas network.

The project will be funded through the Queensland Government’s $15 million Hydrogen Industry Development Fund, which aims to develop the budding hydrogen industry in Queensland, according to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

“Using renewable hydrogen, Australian Gas Networks (AGN) will trial the blended hydrogen gas with a view to converting Gladstone’s network to hydrogen in the future,” said Ms Palaszczuk.

“The Queensland Government is working hard to drive the hydrogen industry forward, to create highly skilled jobs, especially in regional Queensland.”

AGN, who are part of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) have partnered with the state government to facilitate the project, with AGN Chief Executive Officer Ben Wilson stating the partnership had potential to greatly benefit the Gladstone region and the broader state.

“This project supports Gladstone’s vision to be a key hub for Queensland’s domestic and hydrogen export industry, just as it is for natural gas today,” said Mr Wilson.

“Queensland, and Australia as a whole, has the potential to be a renewable hydrogen superpower, with jobs and economic growth from supplying clean energy to Asia and elsewhere.

“Domestically, zero-carbon hydrogen offers a pathway to zero emissions from our gas networks and for transport, particularly heavy haulage. AGIG is a leading player in this transition with hydrogen projects now underway in four Australian states.”

Gladstone has also been selected as the site for a second hydrogen project, the H2-Hub™ a $1.61 billion industrial complex that will produce green hydrogen and ammonia, signalling the city’s importance as a state national leader in the clean energy.

Source: Department for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning | Renewable hydrogen bonanza for Gladstone

27 Feb 2020