Woodside Energy has pulled the pin on its hydrogen plans at Bell Bay.

The Minority Liberal Government’s failure to deliver new renewable energy supply has now cost the state a third major hydrogen project, billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs.

Under the Liberals' Hydrogen Action Plan, which they relentlessly talked about, hydrogen was supposed to be produced from 2022. There is still no hydrogen and the largest three proponents have left. It is yet another massive failure to deliver from the Minority Liberal Government.

This follows the loss of Fortescue Future Industries and Origin. Before leaving the state, Andrew Forrest said FFI was told there was no power available at any price, a statement Hydro Tasmania admits was made to at least 11 other proponents.

In no uncertain terms, the company said that a lack of power has made hydrogen production in Tasmania too challenging. 

They also said the Minority Liberal Government’s decision to restrict hydrogen grants to companies looking to make hydrogen purely for the domestic market was a factor in their decision to pull their investment.

Despite having the best wind resources in the country, the Liberals have made Tasmania the hardest place to build a windfarm. In fact, it’s now nearly four years since the last windfarm came online in Tasmania.

Projects like Robbins Island Wind Farm and Whaleback Ridge, which Labor support, have been frustrated by the Minority Liberal Government’s failure to deliver and it is having downstream effects on other projects.

Peter Dutton’s proposed policy to abolish the Rewiring the Nation Fund would kill Marinus Link, kill new windfarms and make matters even worse.

Janie Finlay MP
Shadow Minister for Energy & Renewables