Hydrogen ’gigafactory’ power plant opens in Gladstone

A state-of-the-art hydrogen power plant generating enough electricity to power 200 million LED bulbs annually has opened in Queensland, putting the state at the forefront of green energy production.

The new commercial-scale hydrogen electrolyser manufacturing facility in Gladstone

A state-of-the-art hydrogen power plant generating enough electricity to power 200 million LED bulbs annually has opened in Queensland, putting the state at the forefront of green energy production.

Dubbed the “hydrogen gigafactory”, the new electrolysers manufacturing facility at Gladstone will use electrical currents to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, producing low-emission hydrogen from renewable or nuclear electricity.

The pioneering technology marks a significant milestone in Queensland’s renewable energy transition, with Gladstone now at the forefront of Australia’s hydrogen revolution.

Developed by billionaire Twiggy Forrest’s company Fortescue Future Industries at an estimated cost of $225 million, the 100ha site at the Aldoga Industrial Estate in the Gladstone State Development Area is part of a larger Green Energy Manufacturing Centre.

It will have an initial production capacity of over 2GW per annum – enough to power 200 million LED bulbs or more than 600 wind turbines.

Fortescue Energy chief executive Mark Hutchinson said Gladstone was now well positioned to become Australia’s leading green energy manufacturer, with one of the only automated production lines of its kind, praising the successful collaboration between private business and government.

“The world is looking for solutions to decarbonise, and green hydrogen has a major role to play in this,” he said.

“As the demand for green hydrogen grows, so too will the demand for the electrolysers needed to produce it.”

“The process of splitting hydrogen and oxygen isn’t new – but the innovative ways the world is looking to use green hydrogen to decarbonise are, and that means demand for green hydrogen and for the electrolysers to produce it is growing rapidly.”

Premier Steven Miles will hold cabinet in Gladstone on Monday, ahead of the official unveiling and to announce phase two of the hydrogen development – the construction of a 50MW production facility.

This second development will use the locally made proton exchange membrane electrolysers to produce green hydrogen to be exported both domestically and internationally.

“It will be by far Australia’s largest manufacturer of hydrogen electrolysers and one of the largest in the world,” he said.

“This is why one of my first announcements as Premier was to commit to 75 per cent emissions reduction by 2035 on the path to net zero because it means accelerating investment in good clean economy jobs in our industrial heartlands.”

More than 100 jobs were created during the initial construction process, with the entire green energy complex to eventually produce over 300 direct and indirect jobs.

Once operational, the plant will bec Fortescue's first commercial scale green hydrogen facility.