The Queensland Government-owned North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ITOCHU Corporation, Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure Limited and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. for a feasibility study on green hydrogen production and development of a supply chain at the Port of Hay Point.
Nicolas Fertin, CEO of NQBP, said: “As part of our planning, we want to ensure new trades such as hydrogen can co-exist at our ports alongside our existing trades.
“This is part of preparing for the decarbonisation of overseas industries and markets so that our ports can support the potential development of new trades that foster the economic development of our region.”
Producing, storing and exporting hydrogen
The organisations will jointly explore the feasibility of producing and storing green hydrogen. The agreement will include utilising port land at the Dalrymple Bay Terminal and establishing a supply chain including exporting green hydrogen using DBT’s existing export facilities.
Dalrymple Bay Terminal is attracting interest as a green hydrogen production base due to its location in the centre of a renewable energy zone, designated by the Queensland Government.
The feasibility study will be conducted in phases, up to the final commercial production phase, with Phase I scheduled to begin during 2021.
The Queensland Government is backing the plan. Transport and Main Roads Minister, Mark Bailey, said Queensland’s publicly-owned ports needed to be ready to capitalise on the future demand for exported hydrogen from international trading partners.
He noted: “Earlier this year, we signed an agreement to develop a liquid hydrogen facility at the Port of Townsville.”