Page 166 - CW E-Magazine (15-7-2025)

News from Abroad

VIABILITY CONCERNS
Jolt to Australia’s green hydrogen push as Stanwell

drops Queensland project

Australia’s green hydrogen sector “Australia’s strategic proximity to
has been dealt a major blow with Stan- Asian demand centres is a clear advan-
well Corporation stopping the Central tage,” said Joshua Ngu, Vice-Chairman
Queensland Hydrogen (CQH2) Project. for Asia-Pacific. “But this is offset by a
The project had been touted as one of significantly higher levelised cost of
Australia’s biggest green hydrogen hydrogen, driven by elevated engineering,
projects and was hailed as a pathway procurement and construction and power
to helping achieve net zero emissions costs. This leaves Australia trailing
targets. hydrogen per day and create almost behind global hydrogen front-runners
9,000 jobs, as well as delivering such as the Europe and the Middle East.”
In a statement, the State-govern- billions of dollars of export revenues
ment owned energy company said the over a 30-year lifespan. The consultancy identifies five ways
project had been a “valuable inter- to close the competitiveness gap: by
national collaboration that has provided The CQH2 project planned to begin stimulating domestic demand, enhanc-
important technical and commercial exporting green hydrogen to Japan and ing hydrogen production incentives,
knowledge to support the future large- Singapore by 2029. The cost was origi- supporting blue hydrogen as a transi-
scale commercialisation of renewable nally estimated at $12.5-bn, but a 2022 tion pathway, aligning with global certi-
hydrogen”, without detailing the reasons feasibility study found it had blown out fication standards, and by strengthening
for pulling out. to $14.75-bn. collaboration with global partners.

Funding is likely to be the main Australia is still officially aiming “Hydrogen is a globally traded com-
reason, as the Queensland government to boost its green hydrogen production modity, and Australia must act quickly
announced earlier this year it would capacity to 1-mtpa by 2030. But as a to establish itself as a reliable supplier,”
not extend any further loans or grants recent report by research consultancy he added. “Unless Australia ramps up
for the project – and the broader slump Wood Mackenzie warns, the country is policy support and market development
in the hydrogen market will have been falling behind in the global hydrogen now, it may find itself locked out of
another factor. The ambitious project economy despite its early leadership the next wave of industrial transfor-
aimed to deliver 800 tonnes of green ambitions. mation.”

Malaysia bans plastic waste imports from US

Malaysia has officially banned imports, a blow to US scrap brokers than 35,000 tonnes of plastic waste to
imports of plastic waste from the US, and the numerous companies that rely Malaysia last year, according to trade
citing environmental concerns and on offshore recycling. data analysed by the Basel Action Net-
improper labelling of hazardous ship- work, a non-profit group that tracks
ments. The decision, part of a growing According to industry experts, plastic waste issues.
global backlash against plastic waste the global recycling system has yet to
exports, follows seizures of over 100 adapt fully since China’s 2018 ban. Last year, after seizing more than
containers misclassified as raw mate- Malaysia’s recent decision spotlights 100 shipping containers of hazardous
rials. the need for upstream plastic regula- materials sent from Los Angeles that
tion and circular solutions, as the US had been improperly labelled as raw
Malaysia, which received more dis- recycles less than 10% of its plastic materials, the Malaysian environment
carded plastic from rich nations than waste. minister, Nik Nazmi, told reporters that
any other developing country last year, “we do not want Malaysia to be the
joins Thailand and Indonesia in curbing American scrap brokers sent more world’s rubbish bin.”

166 Chemical Weekly July 15, 2025

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