PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Australian subsidiary of zinc, lead and silver major Korea Zinc Co, Ark Energy Corporation, has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with TAFE Queensland to train and upskill its workforce for hydrogen production.

The signing of the MoU follows the announcement of the development of Ark Energy’s SunHQ hydrogen hub, a renewable hydrogen facility focussed on decarbonising the ultra-heavy transport sector, at Sun Metals’ zinc refinery in Townsville.

The SunHQ hydrogen hub will include a 1 MW PEM electrolyser, compressors, storage and refuelling infrastructure that will produce up to 158 t/y of green hydrogen. It will be powered by renewable energy from the Sun Metals 124 MWac solar farm at the zinc refinery. 

Ark Energy CEO Daniel Kim said he is excited to be working with Queensland’s largest and most trusted provider of vocational education and training (VET), TAFE Queensland.

“Ark Energy is proud to be one of the first movers in the hydrogen industry and partnering with the market-leading provider of VET in Queensland will ensure we stay ahead of the curve,” Kim said.

“In order to build a world-class hydrogen industry, we need world-class training for our current and future workforces, and our partnership with TAFE Queensland is central to achieving our goal of building North Queensland’s domestic hydrogen economy.

“We believe that Townsville has the potential to take a leading role in decarbonising Australia’s ultra-heavy transport sector and ultimately become a major global hub for hydrogen exports. This MoU is another important milestone for our project and also for the region in creating sustainable long-term jobs in the hydrogen industry.”

TAFE Queensland CEO Mary Campbell said the training provider is proud to support Ark Energy in strengthening the domestic hydrogen economy.

“TAFE Queensland works best when we are working hand-in-hand with industry and we are proud to be able to play such an important role in shaping Queensland’s future in hydrogen with vital training and skills delivery,” Campbell said.

“Ark Energy believes Townsville can grow a strong domestic and globally competitive hydrogen industry and TAFE Queensland is ready to support them with quality, innovative and progressive training and facilities.”

Queensland Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer said on Tuesday that workforce development went hand-in-hand with industry development, so it was vital the future workforce had the right training to take up new opportunities in the growing hydrogen industry.

“That’s why the government is investing A$50-million in state-of-the-art infrastructure to support training in renewables and hydrogen, which includes a new A$10.6-million Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Training facility at TAFE Queensland’s Townsville Trade Training Centre at Bohle, as part of the Equipping TAFE for our Future initiative.

“This training will ensure the safe production, handling and use of hydrogen across various applications in the energy transition and in particular ultra-heavy transport to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

“Queensland’s resources and export infrastructure means that we are well-placed to support a prosperous hydrogen industry and we’re already accelerating towards our ambitious target of 50% renewable energy by 2030,” Farmer said.

Resources Minister Scott Stewart said Townsville was well placed to take advantage of the opportunities green hydrogen offered.

“There’s potentially thousands of jobs in this new industry and that’s why we’re investing in the Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Training facility at Bohle TAFE,” Stewart said.

“Working with industry partners like Ark Energy is a key part of tapping into Townsville’s potential as a hydrogen hub which is why this announcement is so exciting. As a government we will continue to invest in new industries like green hydrogen as they will offer job opportunities for the kids sitting in our classrooms today.”