Hydrogen projects in Queensland

Stanwell’s Central Queensland Hydrogen project (CQ-H2), located in Gladstone, is in the planning and design stage. It is one of the most advanced large-scale projects globally, with an estimated total production capacity of 278,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen at full scale.

Over its proposed 30-year lifespan, CQ-H2 is projected to support more than 8,900 jobs, supply $17.2 billion in hydrogen exports and add $12.4 billion to Queensland’s Gross State Product.

The project has been shortlisted for the federal government’s $2 billion Hydrogen Headstart program.

Currently under construction, Phase 1 of Ark Energy’s SunHQ Hydrogen Hub will bring online a 1MW electrolyser. The facility will produce up to 155 tonnes of renewable hydrogen each year and will also include compression, storage and refuelling facilities.

Goondiwindi Regional Council in partnership with Brisbane-based Hydrogen Collective are building hydrogen production capabilities at the Goondiwindi Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The project plans to transform the region’s wastewater into a source of renewable hydrogen. It’s estimated the plant will be able to produce approximately 300 tonnes of hydrogen per year, used initially by local customers in agriculture and heavy industry.

Oxygen, which will be a by-product of the process, will be used to aerate the wastewater, improving the plant’s efficiency and capacity.

CS Energy is building the Kogan Renewable Hydrogen Demonstration Plant, located at Kogan Clean Energy Hub in the Darling Downs South West region.

The facility’s 1MW electrolyser will be powered by an onsite solar farm and battery and will produce approximately 75,000kg of hydrogen per year. CS Energy is also investigating a hydrogen refuelling network to help supply a future Hydrogen Super Highway.

Fortescue is developing the Gladstone Proton Exchange Membrane 50MW (PEM50) Project at its Gladstone Green Energy Manufacturing Centre.

Once fully operational, it will be the largest hydrogen production facility in Australia, with the potential to produce up to 8,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.

The Gibson Island Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Project is a collaboration between Fortescue and Incitec Pivot Limited to convert and develop green hydrogen and green ammonia facilities at Gibson Island.

At full scale, a 550MW electrolyser will produce 70,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year. This will then be used to create up to 400,000 tonnes of ammonia per year for fertiliser production.

The project is set to support more than 4,600 jobs per year and contribute $15.7 billion to Queensland’s Gross State Product over its 33-year life.

Energy Estate’s HyNQ Clean Energy Project is a renewable hydrogen and green ammonia production facility.

Currently in planning, the facility is projected to produce 500,000 tonnes of green ammonia for export each year.

The Han-Ho Hydrogen Hub in Abbot Point will produce up to 1.8 million tonnes of green ammonia per year.

Australian-based Ark Energy and its parent company Korea Zinc, as well as Korean conglomerates Hanwha Impact and SK Gas are working on the project together. Once operational, the North Queensland facility will export the ammonia to the Republic of Korea and help establish a green trade corridor with Northeast Asia.

In 2023, the first hydrogen refuelling station in South East Queensland was delivered by BOC Australia. The hydrogen pump is supplied by up to 29 tonnes of hydrogen each year.

It’s currently used to refill the Queensland Government’s 5 QFleet hydrogen powered Hyundai Nexos and takes approximately 3 to 5 minutes. The pump is also available for public use via registration with BP.

CS Energy’s demonstration plant will produce approximately 75,000 kg of hydrogen per year, which will be exported to the Republic of Palau to help decarbonise marine vessels.

There are also plans to co-locate a hydrogen fuel pump to help supply heavy transport and haulage operators in the surrounding areas.

Australian Gas Network’s Hydrogen Park Gladstone will be the first project in Australia to blend up to 10% of renewable hydrogen into the entire city gas distribution network.

Approximately 770 homes and businesses across Gladstone will receive the blended gas.

Rio Tinto and Sumitomo Corporation have begun construction on the $111 million Yarwun Hydrogen Calcination Pilot Demonstration Program in Gladstone.

The trial will run from 2025 to 2028 and will include a 2.5MW electrolyser producing 250 to 300 tonnes of hydrogen per year. This hydrogen will be stored onsite and used to fuel the calcination process. If successful, this world-first trial will decarbonise the alumina refining process.

CS Energy is developing a 400MW hydrogen-ready, natural gas power station at the Kogan Clean Energy Hub. The purpose of the Brigalow Peaking Power Plant is to support the grid during peak periods and can be operational in just 5 minutes.

It will operate on a blend of up to 35% renewable hydrogen and 65% natural gas and will be able to power more than 150,000 Queensland homes.

Regional transport service, Emerald Coaches, which operates out of Mackay and Emerald, is planning to convert its full fleet of 120 vehicles from diesel to hydrogen fuel cell by 2040.

This is part of the company’s eMission Zero Strategy. The first 2 vehicles are planned to be operational in early 2026.

The renewable hydrogen produced onsite at SunHQ Hydrogen Hub will be used to fuel 5 hydrogen trucks.

These trucks are intended to be leased to SunHQ’s sister company Townsville Logistics Pty Ltd and are expected to be the largest hydrogen fuel cell trucks in the world.

Any surplus hydrogen fuel produced will be supplied to third-party customers.

Australian freight transport company Aurizon has announced the installation of a hydrogen fuel pump and the purchase of 4 hydrogen-powered prime mover trucks.

It’s part of the company’s plan to decarbonise its freight operations at Stuart Terminal and the Port of Townsville.

Endua is a Brisbane-based startup building large-scale hydrogen power banks.

Suitable for industrial and commercial use, Endua’s hydrogen power banks can be used to replace diesel generators.

Already operating within the Gladstone Green Energy Manufacturing Centre is the Gladstone Electrolyser Facility (GEF).

Opened in April 2024, it is currently the only electrolyser manufacturing facility in Queensland. It has the capacity to produce up to 2GW of PEM electrolyser stacks annually. The centre is expected to support over 300 direct and indirect jobs.

H2 Hauler is a Toowoomba-based company that designs and manufactures a tube system suitable to store and transport compressed hydrogen.

This design allows for larger volumes of hydrogen to be transported safely over longer distances in comparison to more traditional hydrogen cylinders.