Hydrogen

[Sean K]

This just keeps getting worse.

I thought this was a large chunk of Bowen's plan for emissions reduction and net zero but I haven't seen how the anticipated reduction and power generation is being replaced. More off-shore wind? Even that's been canned.

I guess we have a few more years now to see how his energy policy will shape up. Two more terms perhaps? Six more years to watch this unfold.

Let's hope this stuff works at some stage or we'll be living in energy poverty.



Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue, Australia’s biggest promoter of green hydrogen, has imposed a fresh round of job cuts in a blow to the hyped energy source as other major companies also flag a slower-paced energy transition amid technology hitches and mixed customer demand.
Fortescue on Tuesday laid off about 90 staff working on its hydrogen projects, spread across its Queensland electrolyser facility and a hydrogen unit in Western Australia.

Redeployment or redundancy will be offered within the broader Fortescue empire, but the move underlines the difficulty of developing the hydrogen industry in Australia and abroad.

Fortescue said green hydrogen was “the fuel of the future” and it remained confident in establishing a green iron industry in Australia.

“To ensure we can produce the large amounts of green hydrogen we need to make green iron, we are refocusing our efforts into the research and development of new technologies that will deliver green molecules at scale, efficiently and cost-effectively,” a Fortescue spokesman said.

Australia’s resources industry has pinned some of its net zero ambitions on developing a green hydrogen industry to rival the size of Australia’s gas export sector.

 

[Sean K]

Can the government ask for the grants they've given all these companies trying to set up this fantiful hydrogen plan? How much has Forrest taken to build these projects that have failed?



Australia’s clean hydrogen ambitions have been dealt another blow with an ambitious $15bn green hydrogen project in the Northern Territory put on ice, underlining the challenges attracting financing and willing buyers to the renewable energy source.

The Desert Bloom hydrogen project, backed by Aqua Aerem and Sanguine Impact Investment, was first handed major project status by the NT government in 2021 following an off-grid hydrogen project trial at Tennant Creek.

The project had secured $1bn in funding from Singapore-based Sanguine with plans to produce green hydrogen at less than $US2 ($3.10) a kilogram by 2027 and deliver 410,000 tonnes a year of the fuel for domestic and international export markets.

Japanese energy giant Osaka Gas then came on board in 2022 to assist with technology, identifying customers and steering project management. However, the development failed to take off and has been sidelined.

Access to funding and issues finding customers were named as the major constraints for the project proceeding, according to sources.

 

[farmerge]

Can the government ask for the grants they've given all these companies trying to set up this fantiful hydrogen plan? How much has Forrest taken to build these projects that have failed?

View attachment 199711

Australia’s clean hydrogen ambitions have been dealt another blow with an ambitious $15bn green hydrogen project in the Northern Territory put on ice, underlining the challenges attracting financing and willing buyers to the renewable energy source.

The Desert Bloom hydrogen project, backed by Aqua Aerem and Sanguine Impact Investment, was first handed major project status by the NT government in 2021 following an off-grid hydrogen project trial at Tennant Creek.

The project had secured $1bn in funding from Singapore-based Sanguine with plans to produce green hydrogen at less than $US2 ($3.10) a kilogram by 2027 and deliver 410,000 tonnes a year of the fuel for domestic and international export markets.

Japanese energy giant Osaka Gas then came on board in 2022 to assist with technology, identifying customers and steering project management. However, the development failed to take off and has been sidelined.

Access to funding and issues finding customers were named as the major constraints for the project proceeding, according to sources.

Reads like a bucket of rotting lemons.

 

[sptrawler]

Fincantieri | Fincantieri and Viking announce the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship and sign contracts for two new units

www.fincantieri.com

Fincantieri and Viking announced today the first cruise ship in the world to be powered by hydrogen stored onboard for both propulsion and onboard electricity generation, the “Viking Libra”. The vessel is currently under construction at the Fincantieri Ancona shipyard, with delivery scheduled for late 2026.



With a gross tonnage of approximately 54,300 tons and a length of 239 meters, the “Viking Libra”, will accommodate up to 998 guests in 499 staterooms. Designed with sustainability in mind, the ship will be capable of navigating and operating with zero emissions, allowing it to access even the most environmentally sensitive areas. This marks a new state-of-the-art hydrogen propulsion system that, combined with advanced fuel cell technology, will be capable of producing up to six megawatts of power, and will set a new benchmark for the industry's decarbonization efforts. Viking’s subsequent ocean ship, the “Viking Astrea”, which is also currently under construction at the Ancona shipyard and scheduled for delivery in 2027, will also be hydrogen-powered.

 

[ShareSuccess]

Fincantieri | Fincantieri and Viking announce the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship and sign contracts for two new units

www.fincantieri.com

Fincantieri and Viking announced today the first cruise ship in the world to be powered by hydrogen stored onboard for both propulsion and onboard electricity generation, the “Viking Libra”. The vessel is currently under construction at the Fincantieri Ancona shipyard, with delivery scheduled for late 2026.



With a gross tonnage of approximately 54,300 tons and a length of 239 meters, the “Viking Libra”, will accommodate up to 998 guests in 499 staterooms. Designed with sustainability in mind, the ship will be capable of navigating and operating with zero emissions, allowing it to access even the most environmentally sensitive areas. This marks a new state-of-the-art hydrogen propulsion system that, combined with advanced fuel cell technology, will be capable of producing up to six megawatts of power, and will set a new benchmark for the industry's decarbonization efforts. Viking’s subsequent ocean ship, the “Viking Astrea”, which is also currently under construction at the Ancona shipyard and scheduled for delivery in 2027, will also be hydrogen-powered.

Interesting how a Stock falls nearly 5% after such good news....


Fincantieri SpA
BIT: FCT


Market Summary > Fincantieri SpA
15.33 EUR−0.79 (4.90%)today
6 June, 5:35 pm GMT+2
9:00 am11:00 am1:00 pm3:00 pm5:00 pm

Open	16.13
High	16.19
Low	15.33

Mkt cap	4.95B
P/E ratio	113.08
Div yield	-

52-wk high	16.68
52-wk low	3.72

 

[farmerge]

Interesting how a Stock falls nearly 5% after such good news....


Fincantieri SpA
BIT: FCT


Market Summary > Fincantieri SpA
15.33 EUR−0.79 (4.90%)today
6 June, 5:35 pm GMT+2
9:00 am11:00 am1:00 pm3:00 pm5:00 pm

Open	16.13
High	16.19
Low	15.33

Mkt cap	4.95B
P/E ratio	113.08
Div yield	-

52-wk high	16.68
52-wk low	3.72

It would appear that good news is not o good after all.

 

[JohnDe]

The counterargument is no pain, no gain.

If we want winners then having losers is inevitably going to be part of that. But so long as the wins exceed the losses then it's profitable overall.

The real lesson I'll argue is about the type of people who do things and how decisions are made and that the key to a high performance organisation is decisions need to be made by those who have the qualifications and experience to be making them.

In the case of Whyalla, well here's a bit of information about the owner:

Sanjeev Gupta - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I'll leave others to form their own judgements.

It's not hydrogen technology that's failed here. It's a financial failure of the owner of the steelworks. It's not as though the steelworks has actually been using hydrogen after all, or even made an effort to start building in order to be able to use it. For that matter they haven't been overly successful at making steel using coke either but that's another story.

More pain -

$12.5bn Central Queensland Hydrogen Project axed​

Australia’s largest green hydrogen project has been terminated, with the collapse of the international consortium developing the $12.5bn plant and pipeline in Gladstone.

The quiet scrapping of the Central Queensland Hydrogen Project (CQ-H2) follows the axing or lack of progress in a near-$100bn pipeline of ambitious proposals in the emerging green hydrogen sector, still being championed by Anthony Albanese as a future export industry and to meet net-zero emissions targets.

 

[TimeISmoney]

More pain -

$12.5bn Central Queensland Hydrogen Project axed​

Australia’s largest green hydrogen project has been terminated, with the collapse of the international consortium developing the $12.5bn plant and pipeline in Gladstone.

The quiet scrapping of the Central Queensland Hydrogen Project (CQ-H2) follows the axing or lack of progress in a near-$100bn pipeline of ambitious proposals in the emerging green hydrogen sector, still being championed by Anthony Albanese as a future export industry and to meet net-zero emissions targets.

This is old news; they canned back at the beginning of this year.

 

[JohnDe]

This is old news; they canned back at the beginning of this year.

There were concerns, rumours and business partners dropping out, but the remainder continued fighting on with the hope of finding a new partner and a billion-dollar cash injection from the state government. The published announcement is confirmation of the end.

There was mounting concern within the LNP government about the reliance on taxpayer funding to progress the project and if the commercially untested scale-up of the technology was viable. At the time, several of the overseas-based consortium partners shared the concerns about rising costs of the project.​

​

The Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Company, which was to be one of Gladstone’s anchor customers, pulled out of the consortium in November.​

​

Sources told The Australian that Stanwell had unsuccessfully attempted to find a new “funding partner” after the Crisafulli government’s Treasurer and Energy Minister, David Janetzki, refused the request for funding from Stanwell.​

​

“After that decision was made, Stanwell consulted widely to find another project partner which could fund the next stage,’’ the source said. “It couldn’t be found over the past few months and a commercial decision was made by the consortium to wind it all up. It is a decision of the consortium.”​

​

Another of the Japanese consortium members, Iwatani Corporation, withdrew from the project and closed its Queensland offices in March, without making a public announcement.​

​

It was reported earlier this year that the 2019 initial $12.5bn estimated cost of the project’s construction had blown out to $14.75bn by 2022, and there was further expected blow-outs with the worldwide hike in input costs.​

 

[TimeISmoney]

There were concerns, rumours and business partners dropping out, but the remainder continued fighting on with the hope of finding a new partner and a billion-dollar cash injection from the state government. The published announcement is confirmation of the end.

There was mounting concern within the LNP government about the reliance on taxpayer funding to progress the project and if the commercially untested scale-up of the technology was viable. At the time, several of the overseas-based consortium partners shared the concerns about rising costs of the project.​

​

The Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Company, which was to be one of Gladstone’s anchor customers, pulled out of the consortium in November.​

​

Sources told The Australian that Stanwell had unsuccessfully attempted to find a new “funding partner” after the Crisafulli government’s Treasurer and Energy Minister, David Janetzki, refused the request for funding from Stanwell.​

​

“After that decision was made, Stanwell consulted widely to find another project partner which could fund the next stage,’’ the source said. “It couldn’t be found over the past few months and a commercial decision was made by the consortium to wind it all up. It is a decision of the consortium.”​

​

Another of the Japanese consortium members, Iwatani Corporation, withdrew from the project and closed its Queensland offices in March, without making a public announcement.​

​

It was reported earlier this year that the 2019 initial $12.5bn estimated cost of the project’s construction had blown out to $14.75bn by 2022, and there was further expected blow-outs with the worldwide hike in input costs.​

Hydrogen will struggle to get off the ground because it is competing with existing energy fuels that have had millions poured into them over the years for research and development, and people who have billions tied up in fossils will fight it the whole way. It's just like when people invented things to save on petrol usage, large oil corporations either bought the copyrights or the person went missing.


This was printed back in February.


A $12.5bn green hydrogen project at Gladstone that would have been Australia’s largest has been axed by the state government.
Taxpayer funding to progress the Central Queensland Hydrogen Project (CQ-H2) was pulled by Treasurer David Janetzki following a request from government-owned energy corporation Stanwell for $1bn to continue the project.

“The Queensland Government will not be committing the substantial equity and grant
funding requested for Stanwell Corporation to progress the CQ-H2 project,” he said.
“It would have required significantly more than $1 billion in state government funding, including infrastructure for water, port, transmission and hydrogen production.

“We are focused on our energy generators providing affordable, reliable and sustainable power for Queenslanders.
“Stanwell’s investment in renewable hydrogen does not align with these expectations and this government’s objectives to focus on core financial and operational performance, and to maximise value from existing generation assets for Queenslanders.”
CQ-H2 was slated to produce up to 200 tonnes of hydrogen by 2028 and 1000 tonnes by 2031.

It was expected to add $8.9bn to the central Queensland economy and deliver $14.5bn in exports.
The former Labor state government championed the CQ-H2 project, which was being developed by a consortium featuring Japan’s Iwatani and Marubeni corporations, Singapore’s Keppel Ltd’s Infrastructure Division and Queensland’s energy company Stanwell.
Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Company walked away from the project last year citing higher than expected costs.

The government has also axed the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro project, it said would cost $36bn, and the future of the 2000MW Borumba project on the Sunshine Coast remains under a cloud.
Mr Janetzki said he was working on options to “save” the Borumba project.
Under Labor, Borumba’s cost blew out from $14 billion to $18 billion, with just a 1 per
cent chance it would be providing energy by 2030.

The government said proponents of green hydrogen were scaling back funding support, noting Fortescue Metals last year cut 700 jobs and scaled back its hydrogen ambitions.

 

[JohnDe]

Hydrogen will struggle to get off the ground because it is competing with existing energy fuels that have had millions poured into them over the years for research and development, and people who have billions tied up in fossils will fight it the whole way. It's just like when people invented things to save on petrol usage, large oil corporations either bought the copyrights or the person went missing.


This was printed back in February.

View attachment 202715
A $12.5bn green hydrogen project at Gladstone that would have been Australia’s largest has been axed by the state government.
Taxpayer funding to progress the Central Queensland Hydrogen Project (CQ-H2) was pulled by Treasurer David Janetzki following a request from government-owned energy corporation Stanwell for $1bn to continue the project.

“The Queensland Government will not be committing the substantial equity and grant
funding requested for Stanwell Corporation to progress the CQ-H2 project,” he said.
“It would have required significantly more than $1 billion in state government funding, including infrastructure for water, port, transmission and hydrogen production.

“We are focused on our energy generators providing affordable, reliable and sustainable power for Queenslanders.
“Stanwell’s investment in renewable hydrogen does not align with these expectations and this government’s objectives to focus on core financial and operational performance, and to maximise value from existing generation assets for Queenslanders.”
CQ-H2 was slated to produce up to 200 tonnes of hydrogen by 2028 and 1000 tonnes by 2031.

It was expected to add $8.9bn to the central Queensland economy and deliver $14.5bn in exports.
The former Labor state government championed the CQ-H2 project, which was being developed by a consortium featuring Japan’s Iwatani and Marubeni corporations, Singapore’s Keppel Ltd’s Infrastructure Division and Queensland’s energy company Stanwell.
Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Company walked away from the project last year citing higher than expected costs.

The government has also axed the Pioneer-Burdekin Pumped Hydro project, it said would cost $36bn, and the future of the 2000MW Borumba project on the Sunshine Coast remains under a cloud.
Mr Janetzki said he was working on options to “save” the Borumba project.
Under Labor, Borumba’s cost blew out from $14 billion to $18 billion, with just a 1 per
cent chance it would be providing energy by 2030.

The government said proponents of green hydrogen were scaling back funding support, noting Fortescue Metals last year cut 700 jobs and scaled back its hydrogen ambitions.

"A $12.5bn green hydrogen project at Gladstone that would have been Australia’s largest has been axed by the state government."

Yes, the state government was not pouring any more money into it. However, the project still had private money, and several businesses involved, they kept trying to keep the project alive by signing up new private investors. They were unsuccessful and announced that during the previous week - “After that decision was made, Stanwell consulted widely to find another project partner which could fund the next stage,’’

As you mention, Hydrogen production is too expensive, there are too many cheaper alternatives and not enough customers.

IF EVs were not so successful hydrogen vehicles would have taken off and given some incentive for business to invest more into hydrogen. But that is not going to happen, EV cars and trucks are selling better than most think in overseas markets.

 

[Sean K]

Here's another half a billion down the drain.

 

[JohnDe]

Here's another half a billion down the drain.

View attachment 203053

Did you notice that before releasing that statement, this one calling on business to come back came out first -

PM’s second-term economic vision: business should drive growth​

Anthony Albanese will declare it is time for big employers and small business owners to resume their rightful place as primary drivers of the economy as he lays the ground for Labor’s economic reform roundtable.​

Anthony Albanese will declare it is time for big employers and small business owners to resume their rightful place as primary drivers of the economy and acknowledge government “doing less” would unleash the private sector, as he lays the ground for Labor’s economic reform roundtable.

The Prime Minister on Friday will outline his second-term economic vision to modernise the economy, embrace new technologies, cut red tape, progress tax reform, turbocharge productivity and eliminate overlapping local, state and federal laws.

Speaking at the annual Australia’s Economic Outlook event in Sydney – hosted by Sky News and The Australian – Mr Albanese will seek to reconnect with business leaders critical of his first-term government’s industrial relations laws and reform agenda around taxation and productivity.

Mr Albanese will call for co-operation across the spectrum to increase productivity and allow the private sector to boost jobs, investment and economic growth.

“This is not a task government can, or should, tackle alone,” Mr Albanese will say. “In a strong, dynamic and productive economy, government should be a driver of growth – but not the driver of growth. Facilitating private sector investment and job creation, not seeking to replace it.

“From big employers to the millions of small businesses right around Australia, our government wants you to be able to resume your rightful place as the primary source of growth in our economy.”

Ahead of business and union leaders attending the government’s three-day economic reform roundtable next month, Mr Albanese will signal he is open to all ideas addressing weak productivity and economic growth.

After winning a landslide election victory over Peter Dutton at the May 3 election and claiming a historic 94 seats, Mr Albanese will say the country’s long-term economic plan must make it “easier for business to create jobs, start and finish projects, invest in new technology and build new facilities”.

“Some of this involves government doing less: clearing away unnecessary or outdated regulation. Eliminating frustrating overlap between local, state and federal laws,” the Prime Minister will say.

“Yet value also lies in areas where government can do better. Better aligning our investments in TAFE and vocational education, to deliver the skilled workforce employers need. And making sure those vital skills can cross state borders in real time. Working to our ambitious goals in housing and renewables, by getting projects approved and built faster, while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and safety.”

Following the election, the Albanese government has moved swiftly on pro-industry decisions including extending the operating life of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project, supporting bigger data centre capacity, seeking a detente with sceptical business chiefs and accelerating Labor’s legislative and regulatory approach to artificial intelligence.

The 62-year-old Prime Minister will issue a clarion call for leaders of business, political, civil society and media to come together and get involved in the economic reform conversation.

“Very often the public debate about change in our economy is conducted only in terms of dire warnings about what the consequences for Australia will be if we get it wrong,” he will say. “In order to build the broadest possible support for substantive economic reform, we should focus on what we can achieve by getting it right. By working together to anticipate change and shape it in our national interest. By empowering people and workforces and communities with a sense of choice and agency.”

Echoing calls from Jim Chalmers, Mr Albanese will say Labor’s primary economic focus has shifted “from bringing inflation down to getting growth and productivity up”. After announcing the economic reform roundtable in a post-election speech at the National Press Club on June 10, Mr Albanese on Friday will call for “a broad range of views, so we can build broad agreement for action”.

“Tax reform will be an important part of this conversation, but not the whole of it,” he will say. “Because this is also an opportunity to build consensus around practical measures that can be implemented quickly.

“Dealing with urgent challenges, in a way that builds for the future. This is how we deliver and fulfil the agenda we took to the Australian people. A plan defined by Australian values, built on valuing every Australian.

“We recognise that the agenda we took to the election is the foundation of our mandate, not the limit of our responsibilities or our vision. Every government should be in the ideas business. And no government should imagine it has a monopoly on good ideas.”

As he faces pressure to meet US President Donald Trump and secure a tariffs deal, Mr Albanese will say Australia “does not need to go looking overseas for an economic model to copy” and warn “free and fair trade is under challenge”.

Ahead of an expected visit this month to China, which would involve a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mr Albanese will describe his government’s approach to stabilising relations with Beijing as “patient, deliberate and calibrated”.

“There is nothing for us to gain from a race to the bottom on wages and conditions,” he will say. “Or the economic self-harm of tariffs. We want to do this the Australian way.

“There is every reason to be optimistic about Australia’s economic outlook. Think about where we are: the fastest-growing region of the world in human history. Think about what we have: the resources and critical minerals every nation needs to power its future growth and meet its net zero commitments.

“More than that, the space for refining and processing, the energy to power a new generation of manufacturing and industry.”

With the Reserve Bank board tipped to deliver next week a third rate cut this year and as MPs prepare for their return to parliament on July 22, Mr Albanese will say: “These are uncertain times and, as ever, much of that uncertainty is dictated by events overseas. We cannot determine the challenges that will confront us – but we can decide how we respond. Let us continue to invest in our people. Back our businesses – and back ourselves. So we seize and share the opportunities ahead, the Australian way.”

 

[JohnDe]

 

[Sean K]

View attachment 203213

Leak at his best. Even down to the green-red jockey silks.

 

[qldfrog]

And i add

 

[Sean K]

Wasn't Twiggy spruiking green hydrogen in China just a week ago?

 

[TimeISmoney]

Wasn't Twiggy spruiking green hydrogen in China just a week ago?

View attachment 204492

He was talking about making green steel, the plant in Gladstone is an electrolyser production plant. That was canned a long time ago.

 

[JohnDe]

Wasn't Twiggy spruiking green hydrogen in China just a week ago?

View attachment 204492

Will he be giving all the tax payer dollars that the government gifted him to get the hydrogen project up and running?

 

[mullokintyre]

Seems just about everyone has worked out that Hydrogen is not going to be the answer to all of our problems.

From Evil Murdoch Press
Mick