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The stage is set FLAG RAISING RECONCILIATION WEEK
Traralgon Harriers Geoff Francis, Peter Fairbairn, Ian Heafield, Kylee Earl, Phill Mayer, Desley Gray and Mark Fairbairn are ready for this Sunday’s Traralgon Marathon and Running Festival. This year’s event is tipped to be one of the biggest ever, with places selling out a month in advance, and runners coming from all over the country to take part. MORE - VALLEY SPORT Photograph: Liam Durkin
Hydrogen hype
By PHILIP HOPKINS
GIPPSLAND politicians have strongly criticised the federal government's emphasis on 'green hydrogen' in the federal budget at the expense of the Latrobe Valley's ability to produce 'blue hydrogen' based on brown coal and carbon capture and storage. Federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, said disappointingly, the Japanese government and industry leaders were demonstrating more support for a Latrobe Valley-based hydrogen energy sector than Australia's own Prime Minister. "Despite the success of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) pilot program, which attracted funding from the former Coalition government, the Labor Party is openly hostile to any alternative uses for brown coal," he said. The federal Liberal candidate for Monash, Mary Aldred, said the support for green hydrogen projects was welcome.
"However, it is just as important that gas and coal hydrogen projects secure ongoing support as well. These projects can produce greater volumes at lower prices and are low or net zero emissions capable," she said. "Most importantly, they represent real jobs and investment opportunities for our region which is absolutely critical right now. The Latrobe Valley is a national energy and manufacturing capital and I will fight hard to see it continue to provide highly skilled, highly paid jobs into the future.” Mr Chester said brown coal was an incredible natural resource. "We should be open-minded to alternative uses in the future as technology develops. Producing hydrogen for transport needs can help reduce global emissions, and Japan is taking the HESC project to the next stage," he said. "Instead of supporting this innovative approach, the Prime Minister has buckled to demands from the Greens and turned his back on families looking for
energy and job security in the Latrobe Valley." In a deal with the Greens, Mr Chester said the Albanese government had specifically ruled out coal, gas and native timber projects from receiving any funding support under the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund. "The fund was meant to help diversify regional economies and was designed to attract private investment to make it easier to commercialise innovation and technology, but Labor has ruled out projects involving coal," he said. The federal budget allocated about $8.0 billion over 10 years from 2024–25 (and an average of $1.2 billion per year from 2034–35 to 2040–41) to support the production of renewable hydrogen. This includes a hydrogen production tax incentive from 2027–28 to 2040–41 to producers of renewable hydrogen to support the growth of a competitive hydrogen industry and Australia’s decarbonisation. This will cost about $6.7 billion over 10 years from 2024–25
See page 11 of today’s paper
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(and an average of $1.1 billion per year from 2034–35 to 2040–41). The hydrogen production tax incentive will provide a $2 incentive per kilogram of renewable hydrogen produced for up to 10 years per project, between 2027–28 and 2039–40 for projects that reach final investment decisions by 2030. Backing for the Valley's potential to produce blue hydrogen from brown coal has been increasing. Latrobe City Council has thrown its support behind the HESC project as a driver of future economic growth in the region. A council delegation last year visited the operations in Japan of the companies behind the HESC project. Federation University at Churchill has a specialist hydrogen section set up in late 2022. It is headed by Associate Professor Surbhi Sharma, who is the leader of Future Fuels and Hydrogen Technologies, one of the four streams of Fed Uni's Centre for New Transition Energy Research. Continued - Page 5
GIPPSLAND SENIOR INSIDE TODAY
NETBALL WRAP PAGE 23