Australia and Japan have launched what is claimed to be the world’s first brown coal-to-hydrogen project.
The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) pilot project in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, will use brown coal with carbon capture and storage technology to produce clean hydrogen.
The liquefied hydrogen will then be exported to the seventh-largest city in Japan, Kobe.
The AUD$500 million (£278m) project is predicted to create about 8,000 jobs and more than AUD$11 billion (£6.1bn) a year in GDP by 2050.
Partners estimate a commercial-scale HESC project could produce up to 225,000 tonnes of clean hydrogen every year.
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said: “This project is a great example of how regional Australia can play a key role in developing Australia’s hydrogen future on the world stage, with investment and job opportunities to flow through to communities.”
