Funding for development of a Hydrogen Hub in Townsville
Regional Hydrogen Hubs Program – Townsville Region Grant opportunity
Closing date: Thursday 27 April 2023 5:00pm AEST Thu 27 Apr 2023 5:00pm AEST
What do you get?
Matched grant funding from $30 million to up to $70 million.
Who is this for?
Hydrogen industry-led consortia with the ability to develop and implement clean hydrogen projects in the Townsville region.
Overview
The Regional Hydrogen Hubs Program – Townsville Region Grant opportunity will work towards achieving the Government’s Powering Australia Plan to support the adoption and production of hydrogen to help reduce Australia’s emissions by 43% by 2030.
Hydrogen hubs co-locate producers and users of hydrogen in metropolitan, regional and remote areas. The International Energy Agency and other analysts have identified the development of hydrogen hubs as a cost-effective route to achieving scale for an emerging industry.
This investment will further support the development of Australia’s green hydrogen industry, assisting Australia to achieve its emission reduction goals while continuing to grow local industries and support the transition to low-cost green energy.
The intended outcomes of the program are to:
- make green hydrogen available for domestic and export use
- establish domestic green hydrogen supply chains
- establish green hydrogen export pathways
- support existing industry to use green hydrogen
- establish a new industry built around the availability of green hydrogen in the Townsville region
- create new regional jobs and increased capability of local workforce
- build social acceptance of green hydrogen
- reduce the cost of green hydrogen production.
Applications will be assessed in two stages. You will first submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) at Stage 1 and if shortlisted, you will be invited to submit a grant application at Stage 2.
Check if you can apply
You can apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria are a set of rules that describe who we can consider for this grant. You can apply if you:
- are an eligible entity
- have an eligible project
- have eligible expenditure.
The rules are in the grant opportunity guidelines.
You can apply if you:
- have an Australian business number (ABN)
- are an incorporated entity or a state/territory or local government agency or body
- have evidence from your board (or chief executive officer or equivalent if there is no board) that they support the project and that you can complete the project and meet the costs not covered by funding
- agree to publicly share knowledge and information about and resulting from your project
- for stage 2 applications, you will need to be invited to apply.
You can’t apply if you are:
- an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
- an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
- an individual
- a partnership
- an unincorporated association
- a corporate or non-corporate Commonwealth entity.
Partner with other organisations
You must partner with at least one other organisation for your project. However, we prefer applications with multiple project partners.
The lead organisation must fill out the application form.
If we give your group the grant, the lead organisation:
- signs the grant agreement
- is responsible for making sure your group follows the rules in the grant agreement.
You must complete your project by 31 March 2027.
Your project must:
- be delivered in the Townsville region
- be aimed at establishing a hydrogen hub consisting of co-located sources of hydrogen demand and production
- be aimed at stimulating demand and facilitating the production and use of green hydrogen for domestic and export markets, leveraging the existing industrial and/or energy resources in the region
- have at least $60 million in eligible expenditure.
You can use this grant funding for:
- building modifications
- purchase of plant and equipment
- salaries and on-costs
- contractor costs or expert advice
- costs incurred to obtain planning, environmental or other regulatory approvals
- staff training.
Further details on eligible expenditure are in Appendix A of the guidelines.
How to apply
Check if you’re ready to apply for a grant
Finding a suitable grant opportunity is just the start of the process to get funding. The application process can take time and effort. Understanding the entire process will help you be grant ready and may improve your chances of getting funding.
Use our checklist to find out what it takes to apply for a grant.
When you're ready to apply
When the online form is available, you must submit your application through the online portal. You’ll need to set up an account when you first log into the portal. The portal allows you to apply for and manage a grant or service in a secure online environment.
We know many businesses have concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on grant applications and grant management. When applying for a grant, consider timeframes and constraints that may impact grant activities due to COVID-19.
If COVID-19 has impacted your ability to meet the obligations of your grant agreement, to discuss your circumstances and how we can assist you, you should contact:
- your customer service manager
- an agent at our Contact Centre.
You can find further COVID-19 government financial assistance and support for Australian businesses on our coronavirus information and support for business page.
Stage 1: First we check that you meet the eligibility criteria. Then we assess your application against the assessment criteria. You will need to score at least 50% for each criterion before progressing to Stage 2.
- Assessment criterion 1: Alignment with program objectives (25 points)
- Assessment criterion 2: Use and support of existing industrial capacity and infrastructure (25 points)
- Assessment criterion 3: Capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project (25 points)
- Assessment criterion 4: Impact of the grant funding on your project (25 points)
The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested.
Stage 2: We will use the same criteria as in Stage 1 - however we may require more detailed documentation.
Apply now
Apply for the Regional Hydrogen Hubs Program - Townsville Region Grant opportunity now
Before you apply, make sure you:
- read and understand the grant opportunity guidelines
- have obtained evidence of support from your partner/s.
Sample applications
The best way to understand what information you need to provide is to start an application. We have also provided a version to download at the bottom of this page.
Technical help
See our customer portal's frequently asked questions to help with your queries. If you can't find your answer, contact us for assistance.
If you submit your application before the close date you can retrieve it any time to make changes. But you must submit it again before the close date.
We can’t consider the application you submit after the close date under any circumstances.
Contact
Need help?
Let us answer your question via phone, email or live chat. And if we can't help, we'll put you in touch with someone who can.
- Phone:
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Open Hours:
Monday – Friday, 8am – 8pm across Australia
- Website:
Information session
An online industry information session will be held on 2 March 2023 from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm (AEDT) or 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm Queensland local time.
If you wish to attend the session you can register your interest at: HydrogenPrograms@industry.gov.au.