Qld to get world’s largest hydrogen-equipment manufacturing facility

A $1 billion hydrogen-equipment development facility - the largest of its kind in the world - will be built in Queensland.

The world’s largest hydrogen-equipment manufacturing plant will be built in Queensland.

Premier Annastacia Palaszcuzk was in Gladstone on Sunday with Fortescue Metals Group CEO Andrew Forrest to announce the $1bn hydrogen development facility.

The Premier said hydrogen was a part of Queensland’s future and the announcement that the biggest hydrogen electrolyser plant would be built in Gladstone would set the state up to be a green energy powerhouse.

Businessman Andrew Forrest and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

She said the news was almost as significant as getting the Olympics.

“This means there will be ongoing jobs, starting with hundreds but thousands into the future,” she said,” she said.

“Hydrogen is about the next green revolution, this is about sending a very clear message...that anything is possible in this state.”

Dr Andrew Forrest said the fact that electrolysers would be manufactured here was “the start of the industrial revolution”.

“The world will move on from fossil fuel, you can all have an opinion on when that might happen...but we will not allow the world to keep on cooking,” he said.

Local MP Glenn Butcher said people were sick of having everything made overseas and that this announcement would see a return of manufacturing in Australia.

Dr Forrest said Fortescue Metals picked Queensland because of the can-do “attitude of Government “and that his investment was not without financial risk”.

“Yes in any change, there is risk but without change it’s impossible to have improvement.”he said.

In terms of cost Dr Forrest said “this facility won’t escape at least $1 billion”, but the initial investment would be $150 million.

It’s planned that the first hydrolysers will roll off the plant by 2023.