The state government of Queensland (Australia) has decided not to invest further in the proposed AUD12.4bn (US$7.6bn) Central Queensland Hydrogen (CQ-H2) project, led by the government-owned energy company Stanwell consortium in partnership with the Japanese companies Iwatani and Marubeni, and Singapore’s Keppel. The project involves the development of a green hydrogen production plant with 720 MW of electrolysers at Aldoga, near Gladstone, to produce 200 t/d of hydrogen as of 2029. The project would be expanded fourfold in the early 2030s, to feature 2,880 MW of electrolysers, to produce 800 t/d of green hydrogen.
The Queensland government has estimated that the project doesn't align with the government's expectations for generators to “provide affordable, reliable and sustainable power” in the State, and that it would have required over AUD 1bn (US$622m) in state government funding. Stanwell Corporation will now review its involvement in the CQ-H2 project and in other hydrogen initiatives and will work with relevant stakeholders regarding future steps for these projects.