North Queensland Super Hub to power green hydrogen with wind, solar

Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) has announced it will partner with Windlab on what it calls a Super Hub in Queensland that could generate more than 10 GW of wind and solar power and underpin the industrial-scale production of green hydrogen from purpose-built facilities.

Green hydrogen has been highlighted as a solution for decarbonisation across a range of sectors, including transport, industrial and energy storage. According to research conducted for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, demand for hydrogen exported from Australia could be over three million tonnes per year by 2040, injecting up to $10 billion into the economy annually.

However, industrial-scale green hydrogen — hydrogen produced from renewable energy — has been constrained by the lack of renewable supply to power the process of extracting hydrogen from water through electrification.

FFI CEO Mark Hutchinson said the opportunity was a game-changer for Queensland that will accelerate decarbonisation of the grid and help make green hydrogen a reality at an industrial scale.

“Australia’s natural resources, including its wind, sun and landmass, are unrivalled in terms of their potential for the production of green energy — green hydrogen in particular — and that is no truer than in the sunshine state,” he said. “This is about ensuring Queensland and Australia are in the best possible position to play a leading role in the production and supply of green hydrogen globally.

“For the first time, the North Queensland Super Hub will provide the quantity of renewable energy we need to support large-scale green hydrogen production right here in Queensland. The environmental and economic opportunities that can stem from this are significant, both in terms of lowering emissions and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and in terms of local job creation.”

FFI will partner with leading renewables developer Windlab on the North Queensland Super Hub, leveraging Windlab’s decade-long presence in the region including developing and operating Kennedy Energy Park, a hybrid wind, solar and battery storage facility near Hughenden.

The first stage of the proposed project includes the 800 MW Prairie Wind Farm and the 1000 MW Wongalee project and is currently in detailed planning, with land agreements in place and the application for development approval for Prairie Wind Farm planned for submission in the coming months.

The announcement comes on the back of FFI’s investment in establishing the world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing facility in Gladstone.

FFI is going all-out in its aims to become a leader in green hydrogen, with announcements around the world almost weekly. This week the company also announced a framework agreement with Egypt at COP27, agreeing to work together to study and develop green hydrogen and renewable energy projects in Egypt. The projects being considered could support a potential capacity of 7600 MW of renewable energy, which has the potential to produce 330 kilo tonnes per annum of green hydrogen.

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