Questions without notice and ministers statements
Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain
David HODGETT (Croydon) (14:01): My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. It has been reported today that the minister has secured a $2.35 billion deal with Japan for a project that will use Victorian coal and carbon capture to generate clean hydrogen for export to Japan. Is the minister aware of any threats to this deal proceeding?
Tim PALLAS (Werribee – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Trade and Investment) (14:02): I thank the member for his question. Well, there are a few issues that will need to be worked through in regard to this particular proposal. Might I say firstly we are going through a process of due diligence with regard to the HESC project, and might I also say that as a government we remain committed to doing exactly what the Japanese are doing and what their Japanese industry partners are doing. We are going through commercial, technical and environmental feasibility studies. We are doing it. The Japanese are doing it. Why are they doing it? Because before you make investments of that consequence, you probably want to know that it technically works.
John Pesutto interjected.
Tim PALLAS: John, keep quiet.
The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will not call members by their names but by their correct titles, and the Treasurer is also advised the same.
Tim PALLAS: The Victorian government is a leader when it comes to climate action. We remain committed to working through all the opportunities in a sensible and considered way. We are doing that because we have got some of the world’s most ambitious emissions targets while transitioning Victoria to a cleaner, cheaper renewable electricity state and also creating thousands of jobs. This is our commitment: jobs in the cities, jobs in the regions, a demonstration that climate action requires due process, due diligence, looking at the potential of the technologies available to us and working in cooperation with industry and other countries that see the potential for these technologies, but not getting too far ahead of ourselves. We are pleased to be working in partnership. As a government we are committed to working through these issues in a considered and effective way.
David HODGETT (Croydon) (14:04): Given the minister’s support for this project, will further investment in this hydrogen technology for local or export use be beneficial for Victoria?
Tim PALLAS (Werribee – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Trade and Investment) (14:04): I thank the member for his question. When it comes to hydrogen, this government has a hydrogen policy which it produced, and certainly the minister for energy and Minister for Climate Action has been a very clear and strong advocate. But from a government point of view we need to check, to do due diligence around these technologies. We need to make sure that they do not work in a way that is counterproductive to the objectives that we have on net zero emissions, and we will do that in a considered and effective way.