Queensland hydrogen economy takes shape as Stanwell and Origin projects progress

Queensland's clean hydrogen industry is moving from feasibility to construction as several major projects advance through development approvals, financing, and offtake agreement processes that will, if completed as planned, position Queensland among the world's leading green hydrogen export jurisdictions by the early 2030s.

The Stanwell Corporation's Central Queensland Hydrogen Project, the state-owned energy company's flagship clean energy transition project, has secured its environmental approvals and is in final commercial negotiation with Korean and Japanese industrial customers whose long-term offtake commitments are the precondition for a positive final investment decision. Stanwell chief executive Michael O'Rourke said the project was the most advanced green hydrogen export project in Queensland and would demonstrate that the state's renewable resources — among the best in the world — could deliver hydrogen at internationally competitive cost levels.

Origin Energy's Bowen Basin hydrogen project is in a parallel development track, seeking to produce hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture and storage — blue hydrogen — as a lower-cost bridging product while green hydrogen costs continue to decline. Origin's approach is more controversial among climate advocates but is seen by the company and some Queensland government advisers as a practical pathway to building hydrogen export infrastructure and customer relationships before purely green production is cost-competitive.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said the state's hydrogen ambition was inseparable from its broader economic strategy, as the renewable resources that underpin hydrogen production also underpin the low-cost clean electricity that will attract energy-intensive manufacturing. "Queensland's renewable advantage is the foundation of everything that comes next," he said.

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