Hunter Valley to score 2,300 new jobs under Coalition’s green energy plan
The Hunter Valley could become a world-leading green energy hub, with thousands of new jobs sparked by a $82 million funding commitment.
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A job windfall awaits the Hunter Valley under a Coalition plan to make the region a global leader in green energy production and export with a $82 million investment to kickstart a hydrogen “super hub”.
The federal government will on Thursday announce funding for two projects in the coal mining heartland expected to deliver 2,300 direct and ongoing jobs when operational from 2025.
The Coalition has committed $41m for the Port of Newcastle’s Hydrogen Hub, which has a total project value of $163m, and a further $41m toward the $200m Origin Energy Future Fuels’ Hunter Valley H2 Hub Implementation project.
The Origin hub site would include a 60MW electrolyser, hydrogen storage facilities, and a 2MW fuel cell for hydrogen generated power.
The hydrogen produced would be blended into the natural gas network and used in ammonia manufacturing for domestic use and future exports, while three customer refuelling stations would be built across the region for hydrogen trucks and buses.
The Port of Newcastle hub would be developed across four phases, with Stage 1 to include installation of a 40MW electrolyser, hydrogen and ammonia plant infrastructure and storage facilities.
The hydrogen produced would support export and domestic demand including hydrogen for gas blending, power generation, steel manufacturing, transport, fertiliser and ammonia production, and export.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would be a world-leader in hydrogen development and exports, and the Hunter Region was “critical to realising our nation’s potential”.
“The Hunter has been an essential part of Australia’s energy security for decades,” he said.
“The Coalition’s economic plan is securing new opportunities for the local, highly skilled workforce in the Hunter, creating a strong economy and stronger future.”
Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said the Hunter Region provided “great potential” for both hydrogen production and export opportunities, with Newcastle being the biggest port on the east coast.
“Both of these hub projects are backed by significant private sector funding and have strong industry partners here and overseas,” he said.
“With existing supply chains to key consuming countries, such as Japan, and high future local hydrogen demand for uses such as electricity generation, gas blending and transport, the Hunter is a highly competitive location for a clean hydrogen hub.”
Coalition candidates Brooke Vitnell, Nel McGill and James Thomson, who are challenging Labor in the three federal seats in the Hunter Valley, have all backed the investment as a “fantastic” job opportunity for locals, that would “lay the economic foundations for the Hunter to thrive well into the future”.
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Originally published as Hunter Valley to score 2,300 new jobs under Coalition’s green energy plan
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