Whyalla Seeks Clarification on Hydrogen Hub
On the eve of the Federal Government’s Budget, City of Whyalla’s Mayor Clare McLaughlin is seeking confirmation from the Morrison Government on Whyalla’s inclusion as one of our nation’s proposed ‘Hydrogen Valleys’.
“The City of Whyalla welcomes the Morrison Government’s recent commitment to invest in the creation of ‘Hydrogen Valleys’ to unlock the economic potential of hydrogen for both domestic use and export markets,” Mayor McLaughlin said.
“Whyalla is a proud, heavy-industry city, with mining, manufacturing, steelworks, and fuel and energy production at our core. The Federal Government’s ambitious goals and investment to bring the cost of clean hydrogen, green steel, energy storage and carbon capture to commercial parity is critical to our city’s future, and aligns with the green vision of both the city and our main employer, GFG Alliance.
“We strongly urge the Federal Government to commit further to Whyalla as one of the Hydrogen Hubs for our nation. We are well positioned – both geographically and with key road, port, airport and rail infrastructure in place – to support our nation’s push towards net zero emissions.”
Mayor McLaughlin said Whyalla also has available land adjacent the Santos facility at Port Bonython – which already has a deep-water port, gas fractionation plant and a diesel storage facility – that would be a perfect location for a Hydrogen Hub.
“Transforming our heavy industry to a low-carbon future is essential for the long-term prosperity of our city,” she said.
“We believe the decarbonisation of heavy industry presents an exciting opportunity for Whyalla to diversify its economy and support the development of new technologies that will deliver significant economic benefit to state and the national GDP.
“We therefore commend the Federal Government for prioritising and investing in new energy technology solutions and looking forward to being a key component in its Technology Investment Roadmap initiative.”
Media enquiries: Sean Kelly, Manager Communications & Public Relations, 0411 054 643