Queensland has scored first State of Origin points over New South Wales and the rest of the nation, with works starting today on Australia’s first hydrogen refuelling facility at a public service station.
Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni said the hydrogen refuelling stop at one of Brisbane’s busiest service stations – the bp truck stop at Port of Brisbane – would be a critical link on the east coast hydrogen superhighway.
De Brenni said: “Queensland has taken an early lead in the race to transform the heavy-haulage transport sector to renewable hydrogen, just as I expect in tonight’s State of Origin decider.
“The opportunity for this energy revolution is up for grabs, all we have to do is take the ball and run with it.
“From hydrogen-powered trucks and coaches to trains and marine vessels, we are exploring every opportunity to capitalise on the opportunities of Queensland’s energy transformation.”
Member for Lytton Joan Pease said the state-of-the-art refuelling stop will be able to refill a hydrogen car in three to five minutes.
She said: “The green hydrogen will be produced by a 220-kilowatt (kW) electrolyser powered by solar energy generated by a 100kW solar array at BOC’s Bulwer Island facility.
“And here at Lytton, it will help Queensland power its way towards an emissions-free future as hydrogen-powered vehicles start to hit the road.”
De Brenni added that with the pace and scale of the State’s energy transformation, there was a need for more than 48,000 job opportunities on top of the current workforce to achieve its goals.
He said: “To meet the global challenges of tomorrow, we’re accelerating the development of Queensland-made hydrogen, creating more jobs in more industries for Queenslanders.
“Securing Australia’s sovereign energy independence involves reducing our reliance on imported fuel to power our transport sector.
“It’s critical we work with industry players like BOC, bp and the fuels sector to reduce our reliance on imports.”
Bp vice president fleet, dealer and electrification Australia and New Zealand Tanya Ghosn said that bp was pleased to bring its global experience and capability to the task of helping their customers decarbonise as they advance their strategy to achieve net zero by 2050 – or sooner – and helping the world get there.
She said: “But we also know that we can’t do it alone and are proud to partner with the Queensland Government and BOC on this nation-leading initiative.”
BOC South Pacific managing director John Evans said that he was proud to be partnering with bp Australia to demonstrate how state-of-the-art hydrogen refuelling stations can be safely integrated into the existing service station network.
He said: “This is a significant step in building a national hydrogen refuelling network that can be scaled to support hydrogen trucks and buses in the future.”
Member for Redlands and government Hydrogen Champion Kim Richards said Queensland’s government fleet manager QFleet was currently trialling five hydrogen-powered Hyundai NEXOs and these vehicles would be the first to use the new refuelling station when it opens in the next few months.
She said: “The State Government is committed to cementing Queensland’s status as a global hydrogen superpower.
“The Queensland Government’s commitment is to capture every opportunity to secure our domestic fuel supplies by putting hydrogen fuelled heavy vehicles into our transport ecosystem.
“Establishing a hydrogen supply chain creates opportunities right through from research and development, production, storage and distribution as well as hydrogen vehicle manufacturing, meaning skilled jobs for the future for Queenslanders.
“Development of our hydrogen industry will capitalise on our significant renewable resources, global gas production and export expertise, world-class port infrastructure, and long-standing relationships with international partners.”