Joint media release: Build underway for South Eastern Australia’s largest renewable hydrogen plant

The Hon Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy

The Hon Josh Wilson MP, Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy

Ground was broken in Wodonga today on one of Australia’s largest renewable hydrogen plants – a facility that is predicted to cut CO2 emissions by around 4,000 tonnes each year from 2025.

Backed by the Albanese Labor Government, the 10MW Hydrogen Park Murray Valley facility will deliver renewable hydrogen to more than 40,000 homes and businesses in the Albury-Wodonga border region of NSW and Victoria.

The $65.4 million project will produce 500 tonnes of hydrogen annually for injection into the local gas network and potential future use at transport refuelling stations, helping to decarbonise these services and creating local jobs.

The project is backed by $36.1 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and $12.3 million from the Victorian Government with additional financing of $3.22 million provided by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation through the Advancing Hydrogen Fund.

The Albanese Government’s hydrogen incentives are estimated to unlock around $50 billion of private investment, with Australia’s announced pipeline for hydrogen surpassing $200 billion from around 100 projects, a quarter of which are already operating or under construction.

The renewable hydrogen produced will displace natural gas supplied to local customers and industry at blends of up to 10%.

With a 10MW capacity, the plant’s electrolyser – which uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen – will have 8 times the capacity of the largest electrolyser currently operating in Australia.

Adjacent to the Hydrogen Park Murray Valley project, recycled water from North East Water’s Wodonga Wastewater Treatment Plant is a future water supply to produce the renewable hydrogen.

The project is expected to support up to 50 local jobs during construction.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen:

“The Hydrogen Park Murray Valley project represents a milestone investment in Australia’s clean energy future, predicted to displace around 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, helping us tackle climate change and decarbonising hard-to-abate industry.

“Producing renewable hydrogen on this scale has never been done in Australia before, so this project is blazing a trail to scale up green hydrogen production, and that’s why we’re backing it.”

Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson:

“The Albanese Labor Government is investing to ensure Australia can reach its potential as a renewable energy superpower, with the $4 billion Hydrogen Headstart program and a $2 per kilogram hydrogen production tax incentive to scale up development of Australia’s renewable hydrogen industry.

“The Hydrogen Park Murray Valley project provides an excellent opportunity to blend renewable hydrogen into the local gas network to power thousands of homes and businesses in the Victoria–NSW border region.

“Once complete, the plant will be producing renewable hydrogen that reduces local emissions from day one, with the potential to supply additional markets as they move towards net zero.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to invest in the decarbonisation of households and local industry, while securing Australia’s net zero energy future.”