State of the State spotlight on vanadium and hydrogen

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has hailed Queensland's potential as a clean energy superpower based on renewables above the ground and critical minerals below the ground in her 2021 State of the State address. The Premier singled out vanadium, saying Queensland was leading when it came to the race to the future with this key battery metal. The state's emerging hydrogen industry also came in for special mention in her speech at CEDA’s annual State of the State event, which covered a range of topics including Queensland's response to the COVID pandemic and the benefits of hosting the Olympics. The critical mineral vanadium is a key ingredient in steel alloys, including for military purposes, and is used in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFBs), which can provide storage of renewable energy. Related: Green light for Saint Elmo vanadium mine The State Government this month announced the approval of mining leases for Queensland’s first vanadium mine near Julia Creek. "Saint Elmo will support 250 construction jobs and another 150 ongoing jobs - initially mining 5,000 tonnes of vanadium a year," Ms Palaszczuk said. "The International Energy Agency expects global demand for vanadium to rise to between 139,000 and 219,000 tonnes by 2040. "Overall mineral demand for battery storage is expected to rise ninefold over the next two decades. "If global emissions targets shift to net zero, that demand jumps by a factor of 40. And where is Queensland in this race to the future? Of course, we are at the front." Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at CEDA’s annual State of the State event. Ms Palaszczuk also underlined her enthusiasm for hydrogen, saying she believed it would be an industry to rival LNG. "As part of the Queensland Jobs Fund, we are now committing $2 billion targeted at growing renewable energy and hydrogen jobs," she said. "Supported by a world-first Minister for Hydrogen, we are also seeing strong interest in exporting Queensland’s sunshine as stored renewable hydrogen to the world. "Japan’s largest domestic hydrogen supplier Iwatani Corporation are undertaking feasibility on a project to export $4.2 billion in renewable hydrogen from Gladstone which could support 5,000 jobs. "In Townsville we are working with Sun Metals as they move to operate their refinery on 100 per cent renewable energy by 2040 and use hydrogen trucking fleets. "By investing in renewable generation Queensland can deliver some of the most competitive energy prices in the world." Hyzon Motors has signed a deal to deliver five hydrogen trucks to Ark Energy in Townsville.

State of the State spotlight on vanadium and hydrogen

Industry Queensland

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