Queensland has announced a A$15-million commitment to support the development of a publicly owned, large-scale hydrogen export facility in Gladstone.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles, who recently returned from Japan where he was promoting investment opportunities in Queensland’s renewable energy sector, said on Friday that the funding would serve to support the development of a large-scale electrolysis and liquefaction project in central Queensland.

“Queensland is powering ahead in the new, global renewable energy era . .  we are taking another significant step towards cementing Queensland’s standing as a global green hydrogen powerhouse,” he claimed.

The investment in publicly-owned energy corporation Stanwell would support front-end engineering and design studies for a project that could eventually be the biggest renewable hydrogen project in Queensland.

Miles added that the project had the potential to scale up to produce 800 t/d of green hydrogen by the early 2030s.

Australian Treasurer and Trade and Investment Minister Cameron Dick said the 2022/23 Budget commitment would support planning for what would be Queensland’s largest hydrogen project, saying that it could create thousands of jobs.

Stanwell’s Gladstone project, being developed with international partners including Japanese industrial gas company Iwatani, Japanese original-equipment manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japanese nuclear power company Kansai Electric Power Company and Japanese trading and investment firm Marubeni, and Australian energy infrastructure business APA Group, could be the catalyst to create up to 8 900 new jobs, the Treasurer said.

He added that the project had the potential to deliver more than A$17.2-billion in hydrogen exports and A$12.4-billion to Queensland’s gross domestic product over its 30-year lifespan.

Hydrogen Minister Mick de Brenni said global markets were increasingly hungry for green hydrogen to help meet their decarbonisation ambitions.

“Every credible expert is saying that renewable energy is the biggest opportunity since the industrial revolution. Queensland, with its abundance of sunshine, wind and potential for pumped hydro energy storage, is in prime position to satiate an increasingly hungry world hydrogen market,” he said.

Brenni added that the A$15-million in fast-tracked funding, through the A$2-billion Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund, would also help future planning for supply chain and workforce opportunities.

“It builds on a feasibility study already completed into the Gladstone project, which would also supply large industrial customers in the Central Queensland region. This new funding will help provide the detail required to support a final investment decision,” De Brenni said.