Local businesses want a slice of the hydrogen fuel pie

Brisbane based engineering firm H2H Energy announced they would partner with Tasmanian manufacturer Kempe Engineering to make portable hydrogen refuelling stations aimed at supplying the trial.

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The partnership between the Brisbane-based engineering firm and George Town manufacturing business would see refuelling stations - currently imported from Europe - manufactured in George Town or Bell Bay.

H2H Energy chief executive Cranston Polson said the domestic production agreement would allow for a 500-kilogram unit capable of refuelling up to 20 buses a day able to be built in eight months.

"These locally manufactured refuelling stations have a much shorter lead time than internationally-sourced systems, solving a problem that has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Mr Polson said based on the projected demand of the trial, three stations strategically placed at major transport hubs in Davenport, Launceston and Hobart could service the state, with further units deployed as required.

"Having the opportunity to deploy the first locally manufactured system for the refuelling of the Metro hydrogen bus trial would be fantastic," he said.

"This would see local ingenuity at the forefront of this very important trial and allow Kempe personnel to monitor the system locally and ensure a successful trial without the complexities that come with deploying systems from overseas."

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Kempe branch manager Roger Aalbregt said the project would create six new jobs in the manufacturing sector but, believes the hydrogen industry had the potential to sustain parts of the economy for the next 50 to 100 years.

"Manufacturing this technology here in Bell Bay will provide Tasmanians the opportunity to upskill and grow local employment in a new and sustainable industry," he said.

"It is critically important for future generations to keep our manufacturing jobs here in Tasmania for Tasmanians."

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