The Victorian Labor government must scrap its plan to keep burning coal in the Latrobe Valley to export it as hydrogen to Japan immediately, as even the Japanese megacorporation meant to import the liquid hydrogen has backed out.
Last year the Treasurer Tim Pallas threw his support behind The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project which proposes to make hydrogen out of brown coal in the Latrobe Valley to be exported to Japan, but it has now been reported that one of the project’s key partners Kawasaki Heavy Industries has abandoned the project.
The Victorian Greens Leader, Ellen Sandell says that this plan never stacked up environmentally or economically from the beginning and that it’s unbelievable that Labor has handed over taxpayer dollars to support this climate-destroying project.
Labor gave $50 million of taxpayer money to a pilot project for the HESC back in 2018. Then in 2023, the Treasurer flew to Japan to rubber-stamp a $2.35 billion grant from the Japanese government to bring HESC to a commercial sized operation.
The project has been met with huge opposition from the local community in the Latrobe Valley and would burn enough coal to create up to 3.8 million tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to putting another 735,000 cars on the road.
As stated by the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
“This disastrous coal project has never stacked up environmentally or economically – and I cannot believe Labor ever gave it money and support. Now the wheels are well and truly falling off.
It’s time for this project to be scrapped forever – we are in the middle of a climate crisis and it’s unconscionable that Labor keeps supporting these toxic fossil fuel industries that are destroying our kids’ futures.”
