Dawson candidate Shane Hamilton pitches Bowen, Collinsville hydrogen energy hub ahead of election

As the Collinsville coal-fired power station saga drags on, one Dawson candidate says the region has brighter opportunities in hydrogen energy production and export. Read why experts say his plans could work.

As the saga around Collinsville’s proposed coal-fired power station bled into animosity this week, Dawson Labor candidate Shane Hamilton put forward a different vision for the region’s future: hydrogen energy.

“My idea for Bowen and Collinsville, Adani is already there, there’s a massive solar farm and there is ample opportunity for wind, you could build a hydrogen hub,” he said.

He argued the area could sustain a hydrogen power station and also generate hydrogen for domestic markets or export overseas, referencing Japan’s appetite for hydrogen fuel as a well-established market.

He said the Abbot Point port could be configured to cater to hydrogen exports.

Dawson Labor candidate Shane Hamilton (left) stands with Opposition Treasurer Jim Chalmers at the Mackay CQU campus on April 14. Mr Hamilton says private finance won’t back the proposed Collinsville coal-fired power station and he reckons hydrogen energy is the way forward for Collinsville and Bowen. Picture: Duncan Evans

Hydrogen is slowly emerging as a new pillar of industry for Central Queensland, supplementing the region’s massive coal wealth.

Fortescue founder Dr Andrew Forrest is investing millions in Gladstone to build a green hydrogen production facility.

The facility is expected to produce 15 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030.

ASX-listed Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure will also finance a set of feasibility studies looking into the viability of a hydrogen hub in the Mackay area.

Mr Hamilton said he believed Gladstone’s experience could be replicated here.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk with Dr Andrew Forrest announcing the biggest hydrogen electrolyser plant to be built in Gladstone. Picture: William Debois

“There’s no reason why Collinsville and Bowen couldn’t have the same level of input, infrastructure and government support as what Gladstone is getting,” he said.

Mr Hamilton envisions a mixture of government and private investment to propel the idea forward.

He acknowledged the idea was in the ideation phase, but he expressed confidence his party would consider it.

“It’s me as a representative trying to paint a different vision for the area,” he said.

The original Collinsville Power Station.

Expert say Mr Hamilton’s idea is not a pipedream.

Bowen Chamber of Commerce founder Bruce Hedditch says Bowen has a set of natural advantages that make it ideal for hydrogen production.

“That kind of industry is ideal for this location,” he said.

Larrikin Hotel owner and Bowen Chamber of Commerce founder Bruce Hedditch. Picture: Contributed

For one thing, hydrogen production requires a substantial amount of water and Mr Hedditch said the area had the water resources necessary to sustain a plant.

“We have the capacity to have the water, we have Urannah Dam being constructed,” he said, referencing the 970-gigalitre dam pegged for the Broken River 80km west of Mackay.

The government allocated half of the dam’s construction cost, or $483m, in this year’s federal budget.

Mr Hedditch also said a 3000-acre industrial estate near Abbot Point was ideal for a new hydrogen hub.

“You don’t want big industry adjacent to community townships,” he said.

“Here we have an estate out at Abbot Point – a large parcel of it owned by the state government – so why couldn’t we have that kind of industry there?”

Mr Hamilton said Bowen’s pre-existing port and rail infrastructure and its ready availability of land were also attractive features.

“It’s an exciting concept (hydrogen) that is happening,” he said.

“There is a genuine desire for that type of energy to be developed.

“This particular Central Queensland area is just ready to explode with expansion.”

He added, however, that investments in education, shopping and healthcare services were required to bring in new industry to avoid a “fly-in fly-out” outcome.

Originally published as Dawson candidate Shane Hamilton pitches Bowen, Collinsville hydrogen energy hub ahead of election