The department is leading a significant body of work in Queensland’s renewable energy future and we are proud to celebrate the work the Office of the Coordinator-General (OCG), State Development (SD) and Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) teams have put in towards industries within the Gladstone State Development Area (SDA).

Two substantial milestones took place in April 2024 within the Gladstone SDA, with a sod turn event for Aldoga Solar Farm and an official opening for Fortescue’s Gladstone Electrolyser Facility (GEF).

Aldoga Solar Farm

This sod-turning event marked the beginning of construction of a solar farm that will generate power to be supplied to Stanwell Corporation to power Queensland’s largest renewable hydrogen project – the proposed Central Queensland Hydrogen (CQ-H2) project.

To support the Queensland Government’s commitment to increase renewable energy supply, generate jobs and support economic growth, EDQ is leasing land, outside of Gladstone, to global energy company, ACCIONA Energía to bring this $500 million solar farm project to life.

This exciting development comes after the Queensland Government signed a Statement of Cooperation with ACCIONA Energía in 2022 to unlock development and investment opportunities in Central Queensland.

The project will facilitate $150 million in local procurement opportunities, and will produce 380 megawatts of power, This means that the solar farm will produce enough electricity to power around 185,000 households.

The Aldoga Solar Farm is expected to provide up to 350 jobs during construction, with up to 10 ongoing full-time roles.

Fortescue’s Gladstone Electrolyser Facility (GEF) and PEM

Fortescue is at the forefront of the renewable hydrogen solution and by choosing Gladstone as its home for its manufacturing centre, it will create great job and training opportunities for Queenslanders.

This world leading facility houses the manufacturing of multi-gigawatt-scale electrolysers, which play a critical role in global hydrogen production.

The next step in the process will continue to be supported by our department, with construction of the PEM50 hydrogen facility. This facility will be adjacent to the GEF and will use the locally made electrolysers to initially produce hydrogen.

These remarkable achievements stand as a testament to the hard work and facilitation of EDQ, SD and OCG who have diligently been working with project proponents over the past few years.