Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Gladstone is set to be the renewable energy powerhouse of Australia with hydrogen emerging as our next LNG.
"Labor has always been the party of the future," the Premier said.
"We backed and built the LNG pipeline which is now a $60 billion industry providing thousands of jobs to Gladstone.
"Now the world is looking to hydrogen I want them to get it from Queensland."
Bill Shorten has committed the first of a $1 billion National Hydrogen Plan to Gladstone which is already well advanced in hydrogen research.
"My government attracted Northern Oil to Gladstone as part of our Advance Queensland Biofutures 10 year roadmap," the Premier said.
"Northern Oil is planning to produce bio-hydrogen."
"Queensland’s significant renewable resources of solar and wind energy, combined with our existing gas pipeline infrastructure and port facilities including Gladstone Port provide us with a competitive advantage in the future production and export of hydrogen."
The hope is that Queensland solar farms can be used to produce and ship hydrogen to the world, literally exporting our sunshine.
"In Queensland we are aiming to have some of the world’s first renewable hydrogen power exports - with Queensland sunshine - helping to power the Tokyo Olympics next year," the Premier said.
"This would place Queensland on the world stage as a leader in exporting renewable energy."
The Premier said last year while in Korea she met with Hyundai who are ready to start delivering hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for the Australian market later this year.
"These cars will not only run without any emissions they will also actively clean the air," she said.
"Car manufacturers including Toyota and Hyundai are responding to the policies in Germany, Japan, Korea and the United Kingdom to increase the uptake of zero emission vehicles."
My Government’s hydrogen discussion paper has received strong interest from industry, universities and the community and we will be releasing a strategy this year which aligns with today’s announcement. (submissions from Siemens, Toyota, ITM Power, Aurecon, BOC, University of Queensland, Australian Gas Infrastructure Group and Hydrogen Mobility Australia representing Hyundai, Caltex, BP, AustNet and Viva).
For Japan to meet their emissions reduction targets over the next thirty years there is demand for 125 gigawatts of hydrogen energy capacity from Queensland’s sunshine.
Hydrogen is needed to produce products for our resources sector, for metals refining, for our agriculture sector and for biofuels.
If hydrogen can be produced more cheaply and effectively that will support a lower cost of production for our mineral resources development, for our farmers and for the refining of biofuels in Queensland.
