Federal election: Scott Morrison announces eighth hydrogen hub for Australia, expected to create 1000 jobs

The Prime Minister has said he is securing new opportunities for clean energy as he announced Australia’s eighth hydrogen hub on Friday. A re-elected Coalition Government would invest $70 million into a green hydrogen hub in Tasmania, with $3 million going to a second hydrogen project in Bell Bay. It is expected to create 1000 jobs in its initial operations with the potential for more jobs as the industry scales up. The announcement comes after the Prime Minister announced funding for two new hydrogen hubs in Western Australia last week, one in the Pilbara and one in the Kwinana industrial area. Mr Morrison committed $70m to support BP Australia’s H2Kwinana hub and another $70m for a hydrogen hub in the Pilbara which will be run by the State Government alongside local and international partners. A further $6m was committed to support the development of another two hydrogen projects in the Pilbara and Carnarvon. “Ensuring affordable and reliable energy, while meeting our emissions reductions targets, is key to the Coalition’s national economic plan,” Mr Morrison said on Friday. Clean hydrogen exports could directly support 16,000 jobs by 2050, plus an additional 13,000 jobs in renewable energy infrastructure construction.