Ann: Project Update Commissioning program underway, page-123

Some of the important points noted in Liberal's announcement (https://www.liberal.org.au/latest-news/2022/04/19/backing-western-australia-global-resources-and-energy-powerhouse):

Two new hydrogen hubs will be created in the Pilbara and Kwinana (Perth) and will receive $140 million, as well $6 million to investigate two new development projects in Western Australia, creating more than 3,600 jobs, and $67 million to develop two carbon capture and storage hubs and support the appraisal of a third potential storage site in WA.

“Securing Western Australia’s economy is absolutely critical to locking in stronger future for Australia and my Government will continue to back the resource, mining, mineral and energy sector in WA by creating more jobs and cutting red tape,” the Prime Minister said.

Here's an excerpt from related SMH article (disallowed/politics/federal/pm-promises-thousands-of-jobs-to-turbocharge-wa-regions-20220419-p5aedr.html):

“These investments will also turbocharge the development of Australia’s critical minerals and clean hydrogen industries, helping achieve the government’s vision to make Australia a global producer and exporter of clean hydrogen by 2030, while stimulating a surge in regions across WA,” he said.

Hydrogen produces no emissions when use as a fuel, but its production can be very carbon-intensive. Most hydrogen is now made from gas or coal with the emissions from this ‘grey’ hydrogen released to the atmosphere. It is possible to capture and store some, but not all, of these emissions to produce less polluting ‘blue hydrogen. ’Alternatively, renewable energy can be used to split hydrogen atoms from water molecules to make emissions-free ‘green’ hydrogen. The ‘green’ and ‘blue’ methods have not occurred at an industrial scale in Australia.

About $70 million will be poured into BP’s $252.5 million H2Kwinana clean industrial hub in Perth’s coastal industrial suburb of Kwinana while another $70 million will go to the WA government’s $140 million Pilbara hydrogen hub. Morrison also announced $67 million would be spent in WA – from its $250 million budget commitments oncarbon capture storage technology – including $40 million for Woodside Energy’s Burrup carbon capture and storage hub.

Morrison attempted to wedge the opposition when he spoke to the WA Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, warning Labor could introduce a carbon tax that would hurt the resources sector. “If the Coalition is returned at the forthcoming election, I can assure you there will be no mining tax,” he said. “And there will be no adverse changes to fuel tax credit arrangements.”Labor has ruled out imposing a carbon tax if it forms government.

Now why would Scomo mention resource and mining in a Hydrogen Hub program? And why has the SMH article said that most hydrogen is now made from gas or coal? Maybe because the production of hydrogen in said proposal utilises fossil fuel, and not hydrogen electrolysis? Maybe the Government realises that 'if we can get hydrogen from fossil fuel for cheap, why do it the hard way?'. It is very important that the two approved project is related to clean hydrogen and not green hydrogen, that means the projects approved so-far are not hydrogen electrolysis, but CCS technology, which is fundamentally similar, but theoretically inferior way of hydrogen production than ECT's proposal.