THERE are times when I feel sorry for the decisions that governments see the need to make, especially when those endeavors fail.
Twice previously I have written articles in relation to the Government financially backing the highly optimistic opportunities to ensure our ability to deliver new and more efficient green power technology.
They decided to back plans by a WA public company to the value of $24m in order to get started the dream of producing hydrogen at a Kooragang Island facility in Newcastle.
There are always technical and other issues to be overcome for these great ideas to be achieved, but the issue of delivering sufficient cost-effective power was always on the wish list.
So OK, this one didn’t work but surely the intention of trying to create something that could change the world was worth the effort to attempt, especially in our area.
The Orica facility was set to cost $432m to produce clean fuel.
But as the dream of mass-producing hydrogen fades, it is interesting to read that not all is lost.
The proposed green hydrogen hub in Newcastle now could be run by a gas fired unit.
This would be the best option in relation to what is happening with the other proposed hydrogen plant at Gladstone in northern Queensland, which has just been scrapped as a $14 billion business.
CQ-H2 was by far the largest development in terms of electrolyzer capacity in Australia.
It was to be run by Queensland Government’s Stanwell Corporation after the Japanese groups Kansai Electric Power Company and Iwatani pulled out of this project due to its speculative nature.
Hydrogen is used to make ammonia, which is probably our most important fertilizer.
Gladstone was important because most of the guano material from the Pacific Islands is shipped to Gladstone for processing.
The dramatic price rise for ammonia has rocked the farming community and is sure to reduce the production of many of our most basic foods.
Every reasonable person should wish that the Government’s expensive gamble in trying to establish a green hydrogen operation in our area is eventually successful in order to benefit all of us in our changing world.
By John BLACKBOURN
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