Japan’s energy major ENEOS has decided to set up a green hydrogen production plant with a $200 million investment in Queensland, Australia.
Queensland Government’s Ministry for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training revealed the planned investment by ENEOS on December 3, 2024.
As part of the investment, the Japanese company proposes to build and run a hydrogen demonstration plant at Bulwer Island, on approximately 6,000 square meters of land at the former BP refinery site close to the Port of Brisbane.
Construction of the plant is scheduled to begin next year. The plant will produce up to 680 kilograms of green hydrogen per day, starting from 2026.
The green hydrogen will be in the form of methylcyclohexane (MCH), a hydrogen carrier in liquid form that can be transported at room temperature and normal pressure, making it easy to store and transport. A portion of the produced hydrogen will be shipped to Japan.
Along with ENEOS, partners in this project are Japanese companies such as Chiyoda Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Industries, TOPPAN, and AGC as well as Brisbane companies such as GPA and GRPS.
As disclosed, this project is a demonstration project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). It will run for two years and is expected to create over 100 new jobs in Brisbane between the start of construction and the end of the demonstration period.
The project is also supported by the $28 billion Green Innovation (GI) Fund established by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to help the country achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.