Bundaberg Region Bioeconomy

Towards Net Zero Bundaberg is the pathway that will support the region and its industries to reduce carbon emissions and keep pace with global and legislative change.

Bundaberg Regional Council endorsed the regional carbon reduction roadmap in response to the global shift towards carbon reduction with an ever-increasing focus on sustainability in the way people live, work and do business.

Mayor Jack Dempsey said recent changes to Federal and State Government legislation necessitated the change.

“Having a plan to achieve net zero is essential with the cost to communities who fail to act becoming clearer all the time,” Mayor Dempsey said.

“Some of the costs of inaction include those from changing legislation, with the potential for Council or businesses to become ineligible for new Government funding opportunities which will require a commitment to carbon reduction.

“Then there are the impacts on industry from the corporate shift to net zero.

“For example, our farmers might not be able to get their products into supermarkets which will continually set more stringent carbon reduction standards.

“Towards Net Zero Bundaberg is the pathway to which these targets can be achieved but it will not be possible without a whole-of-region approach.

“Council is committed to supporting residents, business and industry through these changes to keep pace with global change.”

How will Towards Net Zero Bundaberg be achieved?

Data shows that 65 per cent of emission reductions required for the region to reach net zero could come from renewable energy investment proposed by the private sector and this transition into the energy grid.

Enabling this renewable energy uptake into the grid will require advocacy by Council to ensure the region’s utility providers are ready and transitioning the grid to support the creation and distribution of more renewable energy within the region.

The remaining 35 per cent of potential emission reductions required to move towards a net zero Bundaberg may require upfront investment by Council, local businesses, households, and individuals.

However, the largest opportunity within this remaining 35 per cent will come from the transition to low carbon emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EVs).

Read more about Towards Net Zero Bundaberg on Council’s website or head to the project page.

Read the full Bundaberg Now story here.

Bundaberg Regional Council has hosted the largest Hydrogen Cluster Group Meeting with attendees including Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith MP and Utilitas CEO Fiona Waterhouse.

Bundaberg Regional Council has hosted the largest Hydrogen Cluster Group Meeting to ever be held in the region, providing insights into the current hydrogen initiatives available.

The Bundaberg & Wide Bay Hydrogen Cluster is a group of local industry that come together to form a supply chain for the production of biohydrogen locally to benefit its use and application in vehicles and other industrial processes.

Biohydrogen, often called green-hydrogen is a clean and carbon-free fuel which can be produced by a process starting with the fermentation of biomass such as agricultural ‘waste’ or other feedstocks.

Utilitas CEO, Fiona Waterhouse said the recent cluster meeting, held last Friday, discussed how the repurposed Bundaberg East Wastewater Treatment plant is contributing to the development of biohydrogen as a future fuel option for the region.

“The main project we were talking about was the repurposing of the former Bundaberg East Wastewater Treatment plant into a new industrial park that is going to be using local organic waste to create biogas, which will then be turned into biohydrogen for refuelling into vehicles,” Ms Waterhouse said.

“Bundaberg is a bio-economy powerhouse, and these projects really just take the waste streams from the major organisations within the community, and then make fuel out of it.”

Fiona said the Bundaberg BioHub was continuing to improve the region’s contribution to achieving the renewable energy target, with more businesses now running from within the hub.

“There are now other tenants at the Bundaberg BioHub, so the Bundaberg Biohydrogen project is only one tenancy, but we also have a company that is going to be producing algae and other aquaculture products from the site, including products for food and fuel,” she said.

“We are going to have a data centre which will be powered with woody waste, so crop residual that is left in the paddocks will be put into a pyrolysis plant that will make electricity and heat.

“We will also be taking the wet or organic waste from our neighbours and using it to make biohydrogen.”

The benefits of using biohydrogen include the ability to reduce dependence of fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions from the energy and transportation sectors.

Bundaberg Regional Council’s Executive Director, Strategic Projects and Economic Development Ben Artup said the meeting was the largest yet, discussing key opportunities around the region.

“The meeting was attended by over 50 local businesses investigating how they could integrate hydrogen into their operations, along with technology experts outlining opportunities to produce hydrogen fuel for our region,” Mr Artup said.

The meeting was attended by Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith MP, Assistant Minister for Hydrogen Development and the 50% Renewable Energy Target by 2030, Mr Lance McCallum MP as well as staff from Gladstone Ports Corporation, Bundaberg Sugar, Wessels petroleum, Superior Pak, Bundy Bullet, and others.

The cluster meetings are held each quarter.

You can read the full Bundaberg Now story here.

Leading bio-hydrogen experts from around Australia visited Bundaberg on Friday for the second Bundaberg and Wide Bay Bio-Hydrogen Cluster Group Series.

The keynote speaker was Professor Ian Mackinnon from QUT/Queensland Hydrogen Taskforce.

He has more than 10 years’ experience in technology transfer, including direct involvement with two start-up companies, as well as serving on numerous boards.

Professor Mackinnon was recently appointed by the Queensland Government to be part of the specialist hydrogen task force to fast-track the establishment of a sustainable hydrogen supply chain.

Other speakers included Philip Sohn from ReCarbon; Fiona Waterhouse from Utilitas, who are developing the Bundaberg Biohub; Claire Johnson from Hyzon Zero Carbon Alliance; and Luke Sinclair from CQU.

Bundaberg Regional Council Executive Director Strategic Projects and Economic Development Ben Artup said the event confirmed the Bundaberg Region as a key player in the bioeconomy sector.

“Our speakers updated us on local hydrogen production projects, the growth of hydrogen as a fuel source and how countries around the world are maximising its use,” Ben said.

“They illustrated how battery and fuel cells can be complimentary and how equipment supply, while currently the largest potential barrier for green hydrogen markets, can be overcome with technology and smart thinking.

“They also spoke about current hydrogen opportunities being in transport/mobility – hydrogen or dual fuel powered vehicles; wastewater treatment plants, using the biomass from the wastewater to power the plants; agriculture/horticulture converting biomass to power; and heavy industry.

“Existing gas pipelines are another opportunity, with the gas network able to take up to 10% hydrogen.

“Speakers challenged everyone in the room to change their mindset on Renewable Energy generation. We need to build both domestic and export capacity for energy storage and regional locations such as Bundaberg should be included.”

Luke Sinclair from CQU spoke about how the university was delivering new short courses to meet the emerging industry need – Hydrogen Basics, Hydrogen Production, Hydrogen Storage and Transportation and Hydrogen as a fuel.

“We have a small window of opportunity,” Ben said.

“Policy settings are being tweaked and upgraded, and there are plenty of reports on clean energy generation, storage and use but government policy needs to keep up with the changes.”

He said attendees left the Bundaberg and Wide Bay Bio-Hydrogen Cluster Group with plenty to think about for the future.

“Key transitions involve generation, storage and the use of Renewable Energy; integrating systems using new technologies; and maximising existing infrastructure (pipelines, powerlines, transport networks).

“It’s important that we build resilient manufacturing/assembly capacity which in turn, reduces sovereign risk.

“It’s also important that coordination occurs across portfolios, both State and Federal government.”

The Bundaberg and Wide Bay Bio-Hydrogen Cluster Group Series is a quarterly event.

To join the mailing list, contact Bundaberg Regional Council’s Industry and Investment Advisor Emily Murray on emily.murray@bundaberg.qld.gov.au.

To find out more visit investbundaberg.com.au.

You can read the full Bundaberg Now story here.

The bio-hydrogen industry being labelled a ‘game changer’ for the Bundaberg Region moved a step closer to becoming reality at the Bargara Cultural Centre on Friday.

Stakeholders and other interested parties gathered for the Bundaberg and Wide Bay Bio-Hydrogen Series event at Bargara to learn more about the Bundaberg Region’s emerging bio-hydrogen industry and bioHub project being developed at the former East Bundaberg Wastewater Treatment Plant.

ReCarbon and Utilitas presented at the event, highlighting local supply chain opportunities and technology advances in commercial hydrogen production, and the possible benefits for local related industries.

Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Jack Dempsey said Bundaberg was moving closer to becoming the bio-manufacturing capital of Queensland and Australia.

“The bio-hydrogen industry is the way of the future, bringing a cleaner, greener form of energy to our region and generating additional jobs and sustainable economic growth,” Mayor Dempsey said.

“As well as showcasing the great work being done by Utilitas and ReCarbon, the event was an excellent networking opportunity for people in the bioeconomy sector.”

Fiona Waterhouse, CEO of bioenergy developer Utilitas Group, said she was pleased with the outcome of the conference.

“It was very exciting because what we saw [Friday] is the level of commitment that we have from local industry and government to enable the hydrogen industry and net zero logistics in this region, which is very important for the region,” she said.

“The Bundaberg bioHub is really taking shape and it was great to be able to showcase the opportunities available for industrial and commercial tenants.”

“We’re already talking with companies in America, Australian companies, companies in Asia that are very interested,” she said.

“And it’s interesting because we’re talking with the big original equipment manufacturers of vehicles, but also the new emerging manufacturers of vehicles.”

Philip Sohn, executive vice president of ReCarbon, said his company had moved closer to its objective of generating demand for renewable hydrogen use in the Bundaberg Region, particularly in heavy transport, thanks to the input of stakeholders at the conference.

“So (now) we’ve got some goals of how much hydrogen per day that we need the demand for, because that drives the financing and logistics of the scale of plant that we can establish,” Philip said.

“And then, ultimately working with Utilitas, to establish how much organic waste we need to be collecting and managing to make that hydrogen.”

Enio Troiani, General Manager of Bundaberg Walkers Engineering, part of the Bundaberg Sugar Group, said he had attended the event because the company was interested in further investigating bio-hydrogen as a renewable energy source.

“As part of Bundaberg Sugar, we're very interested in renewable energy and sustainable operation,” he said.

“I'm just here listening to what people are saying and seeing what we might be a part of in the future.

“We’re a big user of renewable energy already (and) I think, going forward, bio-hydrogen will be an important part of that mix.”

Leaders in hydrogen working together

Ben Artup, Council’s Executive Director Strategic Projects and Economic Development said today’s conference had been successful in presenting the benefits the bio-hydrogen industry would have for the Bundaberg Region and enabling stakeholders to work together towards a common future.

“It’s great to see Bundaberg becoming the place where leaders in hydrogen are now coming to work together and discuss plans for the industry, and the role it will play in our economic development,” he said.

“About 50 industry participants, representing local, national and international companies, attended the event and participants agreed to continue meeting to discuss opportunities, and to continue as a Council-facilitated working group and cluster strategy.”

For more information on opportunities in our region, visit Council’s Invest Bundaberg website.

Read the full Bundaberg Now story here.

Final-year chemical engineering students at The University of Queensland are investigating how sugarcane can be used as a clean energy source to create hydrogen.

Professor Damien Batstone said bagasse and other agricultural residues were an abundant resource that could generate “green” or carbon-negative hydrogen at scale.

“One hundred and fifty students in 36 teams are analysing both thermal gasification, and the more cutting-edge ‘supercritical hydrothermal gasification’ method,” Professor Batstone said.

“The new approach looks promising, with the cost as low as one third that of the current options.”

The process uses waste biomass – crushed sugarcane stalks and leaf – to produce hydrogen for under $3 per kilogram.

Professor Batstone said any carbon dioxide produced was captured, making the process carbon negative.

“The technology can be used with any waste biomass, including green waste and municipal waste streams, and the students’ economic models and design processes show it can be put into practise immediately,” he said.

“Adopting this new hydrogen production approach could have a tremendous impact on the sugarcane industry as farmers seek alternative uses for their crops and mill infrastructure.

“This offers an alternative pathway with potential for higher profits for canegrowers who may have considered exiting the industry, as well as job opportunities for regional areas and clear environmental benefits.

“The process allows sugarcane to be used in ethanol and plastic production, while fully utilising the biomass residues.”

Professor Batstone said agricultural residues were heated to between 400 and 1000 degrees Celsius to create “syngas”, then a series of conversion and separation processes generated pure hydrogen.

“It can be done at atmospheric pressure or at very high pressure in the presence of water,” he said.

“Gasification has been widely applied to coal processing but has not been applied to hydrogen production from biomass at large scale.”

Professor Batstone said the project required students to engage intensively with renewable energy and energy transformation, to give them an understanding of the industry’s key challenges at the outset of their careers.

“The federal government’s 2019 National Hydrogen Strategy identified hydrogen as a critically important future source of energy,” he said.

“It flagged creating hydrogen using fossil fuels at $3 per kilogram with significant carbon emissions, and non-fossil-based renewable electricity at significantly higher prices between $6 and $11 per kilogram.

“Industry professionals and UQ researchers are guiding the students in this emerging and vital field, and their work could have a real benefit for industry and the environment.”

Chemical and environmental engineering student Mr Kailin Graham said the project offered insight into real-life engineering work.

“Previous courses taught chemical engineering principles; this project required us to apply these as we would as engineers in the workforce,” he said.

“We engaged with the sugar industry and technology specialists, and it’s exciting to know that our work will have direct relevance to Australian industry.”

Professor Batstone said a position paper compiled from the teams’ findings would be made available to farmers and sugar companies for potential application in their businesses.

You can read the full Bundaberg Now story here.

The Bundaberg State Development Area has been identified as the preferred site for a $300 million hydrogen hub to produce green fuel and assemble zero waste vehicles.

Set to establish a new industry in the region and create thousands of jobs, the proposal for a hydrogen production plant has been put forward by a consortium called Green Hydrogen Australia Group.

The group has already secured an agreement over 200 hectares of land at Fairymead inside the State Development Area (SDA).

The hydrogen hub, which Bundaberg Regional Council is advocating for on behalf of its proponents, would provide green energy for a wide range of industrial and vehicle uses.

The proposed project would be delivered through the consortium which is made up of the Denzo Group, H2X and Elvin Group.

Denzo Group Pty Ltd owner Ken Matthews said he had entered into an agreement with Bundaberg Sugar to develop the land for the purpose of constructing the facility.

He said the hydrogen plant would not only produce hydrogen but also assemble hydrogen-powered vehicles.

“The project will target domestic fleet vehicle end users and have a total estimated stage one construction cost of $40 million including solar arrays and a catalyser that will take local feedstock and create green hydrogen energy,” Mr Matthews said.

“Stage two would be a larger project which would involve the assembly of hydrogen vehicles on site.”

“It’s going to be very good for Bundaberg.”

Full steam ahead for hydrogen car industry

The project is supported by hydrogen fuel cell vehicle manufacturer H2X which would use the facility to import parts that would then be assembled in Bundaberg.

Mr Matthews said Bundaberg was a desirable location for a factory due to its port access and existing solar farm projects in the region.

“Bundaberg is a good location because what we want to have is access to ports all the way up the east coast,” he said.

“Bundaberg Port is a link to South East Asia and as far as the cargo wharf that we need to build, we’ve locked the land down for that.

“As we build the hydrogen hub, which is over on the Bundaberg Sugar land, that will have some permanent employees not just to build it, but these will be permanent jobs.

“We’re going to build the vehicles in Bundaberg and that’s ongoing employment, and I think it’s around 1200 jobs all up.”

“I can safely say it’s going to be a very large employment project.”

The group has already secured an agreement for over 200 hectares of land at Burnett Heads inside the State Development Area.

Council supports hydrogen hub

Mr Matthews said Bundaberg was selected for the hydrogen hub because of the support offered by Council, land availability for the electrolyses equipment, proximity to a future cargo wharf and access to water required for hydrogen production.

Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey has personally advocated for the hydrogen hub to gain essential support from the State Government to secure the facility for the region.

Mayor Dempsey said it would be a catalyst for growth of the underutilised Bundaberg Port and provide jobs for local people.

“This is hugely exciting news for the Bundaberg Region with the proponent of the hydrogen hub already boasting a proven track record of delivering green projects for our region such as the $30 million Isis Solar Farm,” Mayor Dempsey said.

“Council has been working with Denzo Pty Ltd for over 12 months to support and develop its proposal for a hydrogen facility to be located within the Bundaberg SDA.

“We are fortunate to have a company like Green Hydrogen Australia Group looking at Bundaberg to build a hydrogen hub that will serve a multitude of projects, from providing jobs in the region and developing the port to producing clean energy.

“A hub like this requires a collaborative approach for this significant project to succeed, and to further build the project business case it will require significant involvement and input by the State Government.”

Mayor Dempsey has written to the Office of the Coordinator General regarding the proposed hydrogen hub requesting that, due to its significance, the OCG lead the state’s evaluation of the project.

“We also hope that many proponents in the region will be included in the State Government's recently announced $500 million Renewable Energy Zones initiative that aims to fund projects like the hydrogen hub,” he said.

“This project also aligns with Council's vision of developing as a national centre for bio fuels and manufacturing.”

You can read the full Bundaberg Now story here.