Queensland Will Transition to 80% Renewable Energy By 2035 With The Help of Hydrogen

In September 2022, Queensland Government launched the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan (QEJP), which sets out how Queensland will transition to 80% renewable energy by 2035. Renewable hydrogen will play a key role in achieving this target.    

The Department of Energy and Climate has launched an advertising campaign to generate awareness and promote the benefits of renewable hydrogen in Queensland and how it will support regional communities and protect and create new jobs.   

About the campaign

As Queensland’s hydrogen industry is in its infancy, the awareness of it as a clean energy carrier is low in communities where renewable hydrogen projects are being developed – Gladstone, Mackay-Whitsundays, Townsville and in South East Queensland.   

The campaign aims to increase people’s knowledge of renewable hydrogen, how it’s produced, how it can lower emissions across industries, as well as provide an economic boost to communities throughout Queensland. This will help build trust and social licence in regional communities where renewable hydrogen projects are being developed, like Gladstone.  

The campaign is running across digital and social media platforms, video on demand, radio, print and out of home, in the regions of Gladstone, Townsville and the Mackay-Whitsundays, as well as Greater Brisbane, Toowoomba, Chinchilla and Goondiwindi. The campaign launched on 31 July and will run until 14 September 2024.  

This campaign would not have been made possible without the support and hard work from teams across DEC, particularly the Hydrogen and Future Fuels division, working hard to accelerate the industry to help achieve 80% renewable energy by 2035.   

Why hydrogen?  

Hydrogen is a clean, flexible pathway to help us reach our renewable energy and emissions targets.  Hydrogen production will play a critical role in helping Queensland reach our target of 70% renewable energy by 2032, 80% renewable energy by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050.  It will create new jobs, open a new export market for the state and attract foreign investment.  

Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier and can be used in many ways to support our renewable energy transformation. By producing hydrogen from renewable sources like wind and solar, we will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and cut our carbon emissions.  

Renewable hydrogen will play an important part in our broader clean energy future and can help us reduce our reliance on imported fuels.   

How will renewable hydrogen be used?  

There are many ways we will use renewable hydrogen in Queensland. Hydrogen can be used in gas turbines or fuel cells to generate electricity. This can be particularly useful for balancing the electricity grid when more electricity is needed than usual. An example of hydrogen supporting electricity supply is CS Energy’s Brigalow Peaking Power Plant at the Kogan Clean Energy Hub. 

Renewable hydrogen could be used both locally and overseas to decarbonise transport sectors, heavy industry, for fertiliser production, manufacturing green metals and firming for the grid. 

Hydrogen fuel cells offer an alternative to batteries for electric vehicles, especially where electrification may not be as feasible or efficient. For example, hydrogen fuel cells could be suitable for heavy-duty transport like buses, trucks, trains and potentially even ships and aircraft. Hydrogen fuel cells have a similar range and refuelling time to conventional fossil fuels. Queensland businesses like Townsville Logistics and Emerald Coaches are starting to introduce hydrogen-fuelled vehicles into their fleets. 

Many industries, like steelmaking, refining and chemical production, require high heat above 1000 degrees Celsius. Renewable hydrogen can provide this heat without emitting carbon dioxide. 

Why is Queensland focusing on renewable hydrogen? 

Queensland has reduced more tonnes of emissions than any other State or Territory in Australia and has achieved a 29% reduction on 2005 levels. More than 30% of our emissions come from the use of fuels such as diesel, petrol and aviation fuel - and decarbonising these uses needs to be part of our pathway to net zero by 2050. 

Renewable hydrogen is versatile, it can potentially used as a fuel and  to decarbonise industrial processes like making metals, refining alumina and producing ammonia.  

The International Energy Agency’s Net Zero Roadmap suggests that global total hydrogen demand could reach 150 million tonnes in 2030 and more than 430 million tonnes in 2050.   

Many countries with limited hydrogen production potential are setting demand and import targets, with significant funding programs and incentives to reach these targets. Our trading partners across South Korea, Japan and the European Union are all expected to import significant volumes of hydrogen from as early as 2030. 

Queensland is an experienced energy exporter, with an abundance of renewable energy resources, available land and ideally located ports. We are well-placed to produce enough hydrogen for both Queensland and our global customers. We currently have more than 50 renewable hydrogen, ammonia and sustainable fuel projects in various stages of development across our state.  

Help share the message

Show your support by amplifying the campaign’s key messages on your channels and to your networks to help support the objectives of the campaign and promote Queensland’s hydrogen industry. 

For more information, visit the Department's Hydrogen page below.

Hydrogen - SUSTAINABLE, SMART, IN DEMAND.