THE HON ANGUS TAYLOR MP
MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY, ENERGY AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION
THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
MEMBER FOR DURACK
The Morrison Government is committed to boosting Western Australia’s status as a global resources and energy powerhouse, with the Pilbara being named as one of the Morrison Government’s first Clean Hydrogen Industrial Hubs.
The Government has announced that the Pilbara in Western Australia will receive a grant of up to $70 million to support the development of a hub in northern Western Australia. This project, in collaboration with the Western Australian Government, has a total project value of $140 million and has a range of local and international private partners.
Two early stage projects in the Pilbara have also be supported under the Design and Development stream, including:
· Up to $3 million for Engie Hydrogen Pty Ltd’s ENGIE Pilbara Green Hydrogen Hub project, with a total project value over $7.8 million.
· Up to $3 million for Santos Limited's Carnarvon Clean Hydrogen Front End Engineering Design project, with a total project value of over $13 million.
In addition, as part of the $250 million investment in carbon capture and storage announced in the 2021-22 Budget, three carbon capture and storage projects have also been supported in Durack, including:
· Up to $40 million to support the design and construction of Woodside Energy’s multi-user Burrup carbon capture and storage hub and CO2 gathering and transportation network.
· Up to $20 million to support the design and construction Mitsui E&P’s Mid West carbon capture and storage hub.
· Up to $7 million to support Buru Energy to assess the potential for onshore storage in the Carnarvon Basin.
The Burrup and Mid West hubs are expected to reduce emissions by a combined 7.4 million tonnes per annum from 2028. The projects are expected to drive more than $1 billion of investment in regional Western Australia and will create more than 2,000 jobs.
Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the Morrison Government is investing more than $1.5 billion to accelerate the growth of the nation’s clean hydrogen industry, along with more than $300 million to support the development and deployment of carbon capture technologies.
“The plentiful energy resources, such as low-cost gas and solar, and the highly skilled workforce in the Pilbara make it an ideal place to grow Australia’s clean hydrogen industry. Three of the four hydrogen projects announced in WA today are based in the Pilbara, which is a testament to the opportunities in the region” Minister Taylor said.
“All four of the hydrogen projects in WA will bring over $413 million of new private and public investment into the regions and can create over 3,600 jobs initially when operational – but this is just the start of hydrogen’s potential benefits.
“Australia has a competitive advantage in CCS due to our abundant, world-class geological storage basins – with the Pilbara again being an obvious leader in this space. Rolling out low cost CCS is key to lowering emissions from natural gas production and building an early cost advantage in clean hydrogen production.
“Our commitments will create jobs, boost clean exports, and help to drive the production costs of hydrogen down, the heart of our technology-focused approach to reducing emissions.”
The Federal Member for Durack, the Hon Melissa Price MP said this reinforces the future economic opportunities in many local communities.
“Following on from the Morrison Government’s strong support of regional Australia in Budget ’22-23, confirmation of these investments will turbocharge regional economies like Durack and continue the important diversification of the local economy as I have long advocated. The ongoing targeted investments in infrastructure, low emissions technology and energy production across the Pilbara, the Gascoyne and the Mid West are very exciting for local future growth and employment opportunities,” Ms Price said.
“I believe these investments and collaboration with business and the WA State Government will transform existing regional industries, growing our national economy and positioning Durack businesses as global leaders in new frontier industries like hydrogen.”
The National Hydrogen Strategy released in 2019 sets the goal for Australia to become a major producer and exporter of clean hydrogen by 2030. Hydrogen hubs were identified as an effective means to create demand, build scale and reduce production costs by co-locating producers, exporters and users.
Australian hydrogen production for export and domestic use could generate more than $50 billion in additional GDP by 2050. Clean hydrogen exports could directly support 16,000 jobs by 2050, plus an additional 13,000 from the construction of related renewable energy.
The Morrison Government has a strong long term economic plan that will see the unemployment rate drop to a near 50 year low while Labor and Mr Albanese have no economic plan and would put our economic recovery at risk.
Minister Taylor’s office:
Liam O’Neil, 0428 113 617